Setting Sun
by Rise of the Blossom
Summary: The second he had picked up her scent, he was hooked. She was a drug to him, a highly, addictive drug. But at the same time, she held an innocence that he hadn't seen in a long time and now, he was determined to protect both her and her innocence. He refused to allow her to be tainted like the rest of them had been.
1. Prologue

**AU. Supernatural.**

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**Setting Sun  
**By: Helennnn

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_**That chapter of our lives is over, like the sun setting after a long day. All we can do now, is look towards the future.**_

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**Prologue**

The stench of blood was overpowering and had he not already been well sated, he knew he would have crumbled and hunted. However, with how appealing this scent was at the moment, he was certain that he could make room for more. It was like nothing he had ever smelled before and just the scent alone was highly addicting! The thought made his stomach turn as he pictured himself hunting some poor innocent. Though, from how much blood he could smell, it was pretty obvious that whoever it was, was already half–dead, if not already slipping from this realm.

A sigh escaped his lips as he changed directions, not even breaking stride or making a single sound as he hopped from roof to roof. Being who he was, he knew he couldn't just leave somebody, no matter who they were, to die alone, especially not when he was so close. By just a single sniff of the air, he could tell that the injured person was definitely alone. Well, _now_ they were.

It was night, almost pitch black in the part of the city he was venturing through now, but it did little to his eyesight. And the sight that he stumbled upon in that cold, unforgiving alley made his un–beating heart almost jump–start just so that it could skip a beat. His stomach dropped as he did, landing gracefully on his feet by the victim of what had to be, not _the_ worst, but definitely one of the most brutal attacks he had ever seen before.

Her paling, bruised skin and hair were coated in her own blood, but what made it worse was the fact that she was completely stripped of her clothing.

It was times such as these that he almost wished he was different, more like his clan, who had no qualms in slaughtering people and ripping them to shreds. Although, he could definitely make an exception here… It wasn't like he had never killed anyone before and the man or men who had attacked this girl – who looked no older than sixteen – were far from innocent.

As delicious and as tantalizing as the scent of her blood was, keeping his thirst in check suddenly wasn't as difficult as it once was, especially at the thought of causing this young, innocent girl any more pain. She had already suffered enough.

Not even caring about his own clothing, he knelt down beside her, his hand going straight for her neck so that he could put her out of her misery (despite his stomach twisting violently at just the thought), only for his eyes to widen when a small, dainty hand encircled his wrist. He almost regretted looking into her eyes. She looked so pained, so scared and fragile. There were fresh tears in her startlingly green eyes and it wasn't long until they fell, dripping from her nose since she was laying on her side on the cobbles that were wet with not only rain, but also her blood.

"P–Please," she choked out, her breathing far too raspy to be considered normal or healthy, but then again, she _was_ dying, "h–help… me…"

Something that he should not have been feeling clenched in his chest, making him look down at the girl sadly. "You don't know what you are asking for."

Her eyes were heavy, her breathing becoming strained and because of his impeccable hearing, he could hear the sounds of her heart slowing. It was almost as though every other sound had been drowned out, like the only thing he could focus on was her dying, sluggish heart beating. It was maddening, determined on driving him insane.

"…_Please._"

Unable to stop himself, he nodded once, his eyes closing as he sighed. "Very well."

And with that, he leaned down with speed that was much too fast to keep track of and latched onto her neck, trying his best to ignore her sudden, blood–curdling scream as she writhed beneath him in agony.

'_Please, forgive me._'


	2. This Is Not Me

**Chapter 1 – This Is Not Me**

It was like every single one of her senses had been heightened, so much so that it was almost painful.

There were so many sounds being thrown at her! Somewhere in the distance, most likely on the other side of wherever she was, was the sound of pages being turned. It was probably somebody reading a book. Trying to single out the different sounds was annoying and confusing, but after a couple of moments, she could hear somebody… training? Whatever they were doing, it sounded tiring. They were grunting softly as what she presumed as fists were thrown at mid–air. It was strange, but she could actually _hear_ the sound of whooshing with every blow.

Directly below her were the sounds of people… arguing? It sounded as though it was about something pretty serious.

"_I could not leave her to die._"

"_You should have!_" A different voice hissed with so much hatred, she almost winced. "_Do you have any idea what you have done? This… this _child _is hardly unrecognisable and for all we know, she could be of some importance. Do not even get me started on the fact that she will be ravenous and possibly out of control!_"

There was a moment of silence, one where she felt herself holding her breath. Her gut instinct was warning her that they were definitely talking about her and she didn't like it one bit.

"_I will not allow that to happen, father._" The first voice replied smoothly, his voice like silk. For some reason, she felt as though she knew this person or had heard his voice before. Had she met him before? "_As for her thirst, I will teach her how to control it."_

"_You are missing the point_." There was a sigh, one that was much closer than she had expected. "_You have created a bo–_"

Suddenly, everything fell silent as her eyes fluttered open and the sight before her took her breath away. It was like… It was like she was truly seeing for the first time! She could see _everything_ so clearly_,_ such as the cracks in the wood all the way across the room, dust motes… e_verything._

Movement caught her eye a second after a colour flashed through her mind, making her eyes snap to a figure that was rising to her feet and she felt her mouth drop open at the sight of the woman. She was beautiful! Her long and dark hair looked silk–soft, making her pale skin stand out all the more. But what shocked her most were the woman's eyes. They were so dark, yet they looked so bright and warm all at the same time. The way she held herself, too, so tall and confident. It kind of made her jealous.

"You're awake." When the woman spoke, her voice was soft, gentle and with a smile, she continued. "We were beginning to think that you would never wake up."

"Where am I?"

Her own voice stunned her, making her eyes widen and her hand clutch her throat in shock. That could _not_ be her voice! Since when did she sound so… so… There wasn't even a word to describe what she thought of her own voice! All she could say was that it was mesmerizing. Melodic, even.

The gentle smile never dimmed for a second as the dark haired woman stepped toward her slowly, almost as though she was trying to show that she meant no harm. All she could do was watch the older woman with wide eyes, her fear obvious as she was helped up into a sitting position with her legs dangling over the bed she had been laying on.

Wait, bed?

Why was she on a bed?

"Try to relax." The woman told her, retracting her arm until it joined her other, both hands clasping together in front of her. "We will tell you everything soon. What is your name?"

For a moment, she hesitated, frowning to herself before answering. "My name is Haruno Sakura." Sakura paused for a moment, her features uncertain. She wasn't sure about her voice. It sounded nothing like her. What was happening? "And yours?"

"Uchiha Mikoto."

"I see you are finally conscious."

The new voice startled her, the deepness of it making the hairs on the back of her neck stand and Sakura quickly slipped off the bed, whirling around to face the man who had spoken to her. What put her on edge even more was when she saw the man, the sight of him making her eyes widen as she took a step back, the fear she could feel making her feel as though she was about to throw up.

In an instant, Mikoto was by her side, placing a reassuring hand on Sakura's shoulder whilst sending the man an annoyed look. "Please, Fugaku. Can't you be a little more gentle? This has to be very unnerving for Sakura–chan."

He simply shook his head before stepping further into the room and as he did, the fear Sakura could feel only seemed to increase. His aura was so intimidating that it made her feel only an inch big. But then, somebody else stepped into the room, the sight taking her breath way before horrible memories flashed to her mind as Sakura remembered where she had seen this man. Tears filled her eyes, though they wouldn't fall.

"You…" Sakura whispered, her throat tightening almost painfully as she took a step forward. "You're…"

Before she even knew what she was doing, Sakura was hugging the man. She didn't know him. All she knew about him was that he had saved her. She was alive because of him. He was her saviour.

"Thank you." Sakura told him and she squeezed her eyes shut. "_Thank you!"_

Large hands gently unwrapped her arms from around his waist, making her eyes open and snap to his face. He was emotionless, though the moment he saw her distress, he gave her a small, barely even noticeable smile and for some reason, it made her relax. He wouldn't harm her – that much was obvious. He wouldn't have saved her life, otherwise.

The man holding her at arms–length was beautiful, there was no denying that. Like the first two she had seen, Mikoto and Fugaku, his skin was pale, but his hair was neither as dark as Mikoto's nor as light as Fugaku's. It was kind of in the middle, a dull black that still somehow seemed to shine. Like Mikoto and Fugaku, however, his eyes were impossibly dark and there was no emotion in them. Perhaps they were his parents?

"I don't even know your name." Sakura smiled shyly, her eyes averting to ground.

"Uchiha Itachi."

His soft voice was one she recognised immediately. He had been arguing when she first woke up, along with the other man in the room, Fugaku. Itachi, however, had been the one saying that he would help her. At least that solved one problem and she now knew why the voice had seemed so familiar. He had spoken to her that night, though she had hardly been capable of holding a real conversation.

Sakura smiled politely at Itachi before stepping away, feeling a little uncomfortable as she glanced at the three around her. There was something not normal about them, but the only one who made her nervous was Fugaku. His intense stare was making Sakura feel the urge to shift restlessly, though she wouldn't allow it.

"Where am I? What happened?"

The man she had just been hugging, Itachi, looked over to Mikoto, who frowned for a moment before speaking. "You were attacked, Sakura–chan." she told her gently, like she was going to give Sakura bad news. "When my son, Itachi, found you, you were barely even alive and if he had been a minute later, you would have died." Sakura's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Mikoto looked to the ground as she continued. "You were in very bad shape and whoever had attacked you was animalistic. I have never seen something so…"

She shook her head, finally looking back up at Sakura. "Whoever it was had broken your spine as well as both of your arms and many ribs. You also had a serious head wound that should have killed you immediately as well as many, _many_ cuts and stab wounds that had been slowly bleeding you dry." Mikoto looked pained for a moment, like she didn't want to say the words. "You were also sexually assaulted, Sakura–chan."

Sakura closed her eyes, feeling like somebody was sitting on her chest and refused to get up. Of course she had already known that she had been viciously raped. Several times, in fact, by several men. It wasn't something that was easy to forget. What she didn't know was how serious her wounds had been. After the men had damaged her spine, she had barely even felt a thing.

Wait…

"I was paralysed." Sakura said slowly, her eyes opening as she looked at Mikoto. "I shouldn't be able to move the lower half of my body, let alone be standing and walking around. They… They had broken my spine in half to stop me from running away."

This time, Mikoto looked at the person beside Sakura. "Itachi, perhaps you should be the one to explain to Sakura–chan."

He nodded once and with that nod, Mikoto and Fugaku left the room, though Sakura could tell that they were close by due to the strange colours that she could see within them, though only if she was focusing on them could she see the colours. Or were the colours in her mind? She couldn't tell and made a mental note to ask somebody about it later, because she certainly hadn't seen those colours before the attack.

The person who had once been training, the one with the navy colour, was closer than before, too. It made her a little uneasy, if Sakura was completely honest, but she couldn't blame them for being unsure of her. If somebody who should have been dead or paralysed just magically healed right in front of her, she would be kind of freaked out and worried, too.

And then, Itachi turned to face her, but no words would come from his lips. It didn't even seem like he was trying to make the effort of speaking. Sakura watched him silently and there was no denying that she could feel dread filling her entire body as she waited for him to speak.

It hadn't gone unnoticed to her that the moment his parents, his _father_, left the room, Itachi became less cold. Sure, he wasn't exactly the cheeriest looking person Sakura had ever met before, but his eyes had definitely softened and he looked much more approachable now. However, instead of being comforted by this, Sakura's guards went straight up. It was obvious that he was trying to make her comfortable, like he was trying to soften a blow that was about to hit her.

"Itachi–san," Sakura said quietly, inwardly wincing once again at the sound of her voice, "what happened last night?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Last night?" When she slowly, unsurely nodded, Itachi sighed. "Sakura–san, nothing happened last night." Just when Sakura was about to argue, he cut her off. "What happened to you was over a week ago."

Mikoto's earlier words drifted to her mind, '_We were beginning to think that you would never wake up_'. After only a week, they had thought she wasn't going to wake up? In all honestly, she shouldn't have! She should be dead right now. Or, at least, in a state of unconsciousness, possibly even a coma. Her injuries had been fatal. Hell, the head injury alone should have killed her! Mikoto had even said so herself.

Raising her hands, Sakura looked down at them, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She was much paler than usual, although, considering how much blood she probably lost, that wasn't all too surprising. However, that wasn't what had her frowning. It was the fact that there wasn't a single scar on her hands!

"What…"

As her voice trailed off, a hand entered her line of vision, a large, pale hand which slowly took a hold of hers and gently pulled her forward. Sakura's frown deepened, allowing Itachi to guide her out of a different door than the one his parents had used. As he walked in front of her, she couldn't help but watch him in admiration. Like Mikoto, every single one of Itachi's movements was graceful, yet there was a power beneath that gracefulness, one that revealed itself with each stride.

When they entered another room, a bedroom, Sakura couldn't help but gasp in awe. This place was beautiful and she regretted not paying attention to the other rooms she had just been in. It was furnished traditionally, yet there were a few pieces here and there that gave the room a more modern look, making it seem warmer. Sakura didn't have time to appreciate it fully, however, as she was guided (_pulled!_) around yet another corner. This time, however, Sakura paused and managed to stop Itachi's movements, too.

"Where am I, Itachi–san?" This place was like a freaking mansion! What sort of bedroom had it's own living area?

"My home." he replied patiently, glancing at her over his shoulder before pulling her forward once again with more force than earlier.

Sakura glanced down at their joined hands. His hold kept loosening and tightening every couple of moments, like he wasn't all too sure how to hold somebody's hand. Or maybe it was because of what happened to her? No! That was ridiculous. Why would he be worried about how she would take holding his hand? Well, more like him taking her hand hostage and dragging her places.

It was strange. Despite everything that had happened to her… Sakura didn't feel how she probably should have. She had seen, spoken to and treated many victims of rape and while they had all reacted differently, deep down, they all held that same defeated, utterly hopeless and broken aura. It was nothing like how she was feeling. Right now, when Sakura really thought about it, she felt…

She felt murderous.

A part of her wanted to go out there, track the men down who had attacked her and rip their throats out. She wanted to make them suffer for what they had done to her, for how they had treated her. She wanted to bathe in their blood. Now, Sakura had always been known for being rather violent, but never had she ever had such… such _animalistic_ and vicious thoughts.

"Calm yourself." Itachi spoke calmly, his hold loosening ever so slightly as he slowed down to walk by her side.

Sakura's eyes snapped up to his as they regarded each other silently. It only vaguely registered in her mind that she didn't need to look where she was going to stop herself from bumping into anything. And no, it wasn't because of Itachi guiding her. Like earlier on, when Sakura first woke up, she was startled by just how much she could see. For example, despite Itachi being almost an entire foot taller than her, as well as several inches away from her, she could count every single eyelash framing his impossibly dark eyes.

"How can you tell me to calm down?" Sakura questioned, averting her eyes to look around as they now entered a bathroom. A rather large bathroom. No, scratch that. It was _ridiculously _large and luxuriously decorated. It was the kind of bathroom you would expect to find in a palace or a celebrity's mansion. "I wake up in a strange place even though I should be dead and…"

When she trailed off, Itachi looked down at her. "And?"

"…And I don't feel like myself." she whispered, continuing to stare at the dark marbled floor. It was so clean that she could almost see her reflection, though it was too blurry to make anything out. It seemed even with her new eyesight, there were still some things that couldn't be seen.

Silently, Itachi brought Sakura closer to him and moved them to a certain part of the bathroom, but when she looked up at him questioningly, just about to ask him what he was doing, Itachi turned her around so that her back was against his chest, the sight in front of her taking her breath away.

There, standing before her, was her. Only, it didn't look like her. Not exactly. Sure her hair was still the same pale, pastel shade of pink, but it seemed shinier than before and smoother (and a hell of a lot shorter!). It looked as though it would feel like silk beneath her fingers. The finest, most expensive silk. What startled her the most were her eyes. They had always been bright, but now, they seemed so much more stunning. It was like the unusual paleness of her skin, the thick, long black eyelashes framing her almond shaped eyes, were making them look more startling than ever. Had they always been so bright?

Self–consciously, Sakura wrapped her arms around her waist, only to pause when she was suddenly reminded that Itachi was still holding her. When she looked up, via their reflections, her eyes locked with his, watching him as he watched her. His eyes were so intense, even more so than before and the appreciative look in them wasn't unnoticed by her. It made Sakura once again look herself over.

"These aren't my clothes."

Sakura felt like slapping her hand to her face. Out of all the things to say, why did she have to say that? It made her sound so stupid! Of course these clothes weren't her own. When Itachi had found her, her clothes had been torn to shreds when they had been literally ripped from her body.

At the moment, she was wearing a black dress that reached her knees and honestly, the dress was stunning and seemed to exaggerate her curves. What surprised her the most though was the fact that when she looked down, Sakura found that she was wearing heels. How the hell hadn't she noticed them? She couldn't even walk in heels! The last time she had worn a pair, she had sprained her ankle.

"The dress and shoes belong to my mother." Itachi answered smoothly, his hands still resting on her hips as he also looked the rest of her body over. Until Sakura had mentioned her clothing, Itachi's eyes hadn't moved from hers. Back when he had saved her he had thought that her eyes were mesmerizing, but now? Now it felt like whenever he was looking at her, he was being hypnotized. The pull he had felt that night seemed to have grown incredibly stronger.

"What's happening to me?" Sakura suddenly whispered, her eyes locking with Itachi's once again. "This isn't me."

There was silence for a couple of moments as Itachi continued to watch her eyes, watching the many different emotions flashing through them: fear, uncertainty, anger, sadness and pain. The sight of her emotions made Itachi's dead heart clench. He had warned her that night that this was not what she would want. Closing his eyes, Itachi sighed. No. It wasn't Sakura's fault. It was his. If he hadn't acted so selfishly, then Sakura wouldn't be suffering right now. But then again, she would be dead if he hadn't.

"Sakura–san," he said as his eyes slowly slid open, revealing not dark eyes, but startlingly red and black ones, "what do you know about vampires?"


	3. It's Impossible!

**Chapter 2 – It's Impossible!**

Her expression was almost a perfect replica of his own, right down to the blank eyes. The deadpan would have been amusing had their situation not been so serious and try as he might, Itachi could not ignore the growing anger that had suddenly entered her eyes or the down–turning of her lips as they twitched, just like one of her eyebrows was currently doing. Had he not been who he was, _what he was_, Itachi may have even released his hold on her and backed away.

"What do I know about _vampires?"_ Sakura repeated slowly, like she was talking to an invalid. "Are you _trying_ to piss me off? Because it's working!" She closed her eyes, a pained look flitting over her features and in response, Itachi's hands twitched. "Itachi–san… please… you have no idea how close I am to freaking out right now and you telling me these things, asking me about _vampires_, is not helping. In fact, it's leading me to believe that you may be insane."

Slowly, Sakura raised her hands again and took a hold of his, removing them from her body as she turned to face him and stepped backwards, putting more space between them. Only, when she looked into his eyes again, Sakura froze in her place.

Before, she had thought that it was simply her mind playing tricks on her or the trauma finally catching up to her. Now that she could see him clearly however, Sakura could see that it was no trick. Itachi's eyes were now red. No… Sakura's eyebrows knitted together as she saw three black tomoe in each eye, swirling around in what seemed like slow motion. What was the point in eyes such as those? Did they hold some kind of purpose?

And then, Sakura gasped as she felt the world around her slipping away into a different time, a different place.

"_I was dying._" a smooth voice spoke to her, sounding like it could possibly be in her head or all around her. "_I had a rare illness that the doctors were unable to diagnose or cure. All they could tell was that there would be no chance of survival._"

The scene before her was heartbreaking. There was a young boy sitting at a desk with his parents beside him and opposite them, sat a young doctor, a man who was watching the small family with sympathetic eyes. Beside the young boy who seemed to be in shock, the mother burst into tears, seeming unable to control herself as she shook with her sobs, as she covered her mouth with one hand and clutched her chest with the other. The father was silent, though the pain in his eyes was unmistakable as he looked down at his son.

Sakura wanted nothing more than to run to them all, to hug the child and whisper promises she had no right to make because no child deserved to die so young – they didn't deserve to die at all! However, she was merely a spectator and before she could even open her mouth, the vision around her was shifting, though just as it was about to change completely, Sakura saw a single tear slip down the boy's cheek.

Now, the surrounding area was much more depressing, if that was even possible. The room was dark except for a fire and a single candle that was beside a bed and due to the fire, the room was toasty warm. It seemed that this place didn't have electricity and no other natural light was in the room as the curtains had been shut, but just as Sakura wondered why, the voice returned.

"_As the years went by, my health deteriorated and because of my illness, my immune system wasn't what it should have been. Just a common cold could have killed me by the time I turned fifteen."_

Sakura's heart went out to the sweaty and trembling Itachi on the bed. He looked no older than fifteen as he stared up at the ceiling, breathing hard before sitting up with surprising speed for an ill boy, coughing almost violently into his hand. Within an instant, the door to his room opened, making Itachi's eyes squeeze shut at the light that suddenly filled the room and Sakura couldn't help but gasp at the sight of his eyes. They were bloodshot and unfocused, making it obvious that he was slowly losing his sight.

"Nii–san!" A young boy cried, shutting the doors quickly and rushing into the room, looking desperate as he dunked two pieces of cloth into a bucket of water and squeezed them, getting rid of any excess water.

Sakura wanted to tell him that Itachi needed water, that he needed to calm down, but no words would pass her lips. It seemed her words weren't needed as the boy waited until Itachi had controlled his coughing, helping him sit back against the wall and grabbing a mug that was on the table beside the bed. The look the young boy was giving his brother almost tore her heart to pieces. He looked utterly broken as he helped Itachi drink some water before placing down the mug and cleaning his sweaty face with one cloth whilst wiping the blood off of Itachi's hand with the other. Coughing up blood… Sakura frowned, trying to think of what his illness could be.

"You shouldn't be here… Sasuke." Itachi rasped, looking exhausted as he leaned his head back against the wall.

"I don't care!" Sasuke exclaimed at the same time as he moved forward and curled up against Itachi's side.

The warmth in the older brother's eyes as he looked down at Sasuke had tears forming in Sakura's eyes. It was so obvious that Itachi loved his younger brother and she could tell just by that one look that he wasn't looking out for himself and the possibility of picking something up from the boy. He was looking out for Sasuke. Since the doctors couldn't tell what Itachi's illness was, they wouldn't be able to tell whether or not it was contagious, either. Not until it was too late, anyway.

"_My brother, Sasuke, went against our parents' orders and always came to visit me, despite the fact I could be contagious. Sometimes, he brought our cousin with him and they would both sit with me so I wouldn't be lonely, telling me of the things they had seen and trying to help me picture them._" There was a moment of silence before Itachi spoke again. "_My parents researched and tried to find a way to cure me or at least help stop the pain, but nothing they did worked and by the time I turned twenty–one, my illness took a turn for the worse._"

At his words, Sakura felt herself being pulled into another memory, this one making her stomach twist painfully. Itachi was once again in a bed, was once again coughing and shaking, though even more violently than the last time. He was older now, looking a little more like the man she was with on the outside world right now, but at the same time, so very different. It was obvious that these were going to be his last moments and if not, then his death was going to be soon, possibly a day away at most and in response, Sakura choked back her sobs, not understanding why she was feeling such pain for a man she didn't even know.

There were two other men by his side, both looking torn between grief, pain and sadness as they tried to soothe Itachi, as they tried to help calm his racing heart (a heart that was much too fast and loud to Sakura's sensitive ears) and as they tried to help even out his breathing. Sakura recognised the youngest boy as Itachi's brother, Sasuke, but she didn't recognise the other. He had short, dark and unruly hair and just like Sasuke and Itachi, his eyes were impossibly black, too. Perhaps he was another brother, or the cousin Itachi had mentioned?

"Itachi." Sasuke whispered, his voice sounding broken and helpless as he watched Itachi clutch desperately at his chest, doubling over and barely holding back his scream of pain. He looked up at the other man, his eyes filling with tears. "Shisui, what should we do?"

Shisui, as Sasuke had called him, seemed just as helpless as him as his eyes locked on Itachi. He was slowly rubbing Itachi's back in soothing circles, trying to do whatever he possibly could to help him. "There's nothing we can do, Sasuke." Shisui replied reluctantly, sadly. "All we can do is hope Itachi can hold on until your parents return."

Just as the words left his mouth, the doors to Itachi's bedroom slammed open, banging off of the walls and neither man had any time to react before a woman was suddenly grabbing Itachi, pinning him to the bed as she forced him out of his doubled over position. Sakura felt her breath leave her as she watched Itachi and Sasuke's parents restrain Shisui and Sasuke, stopping them from helping the ill man who was helpless to stop the woman hovering over him, a strange light emitting from her hands.

"There is no cure." The woman's voice was hard as the green light faded, but Sakura could hear the sadness behind it, the empathy. "I'm sorry, but your son will not make it through the night. His lungs and heart are too weak and will give out within the next hour or so."

"Please help him!" Mikoto cried, letting go of Sasuke as she ran forward, grabbing the blonde's hand. "Please, help my son!"

She shook her head, looking down at Itachi with unreadable eyes. "There is nothing I can do for him as a doctor."

Fugaku's eyes widened, hearing the double meaning behind her words and released a thrashing Shisui, who joined Sasuke in rushing over to Itachi. He quickly made his way over to the woman and his wife, ignoring his younger son and nephew. "But there _is_ something you can do, is there not?"

Slowly, unsurely, the woman nodded, though she looked torn as she continued to stare at Itachi's haggard features. "There is, but I will not do anything unless I have your son's _voiced_ approval."

Sasuke's head snapped up a second before he was helping Itachi sit up, slapping him lightly across the cheek. "Nii–san! Nii–san, she can help you. Wake up! Please. Please, Itachi. _Please!"_

Once again, the desperate tone of Sasuke's voice made Sakura's heart feel as though it was breaking, making her bite her lip harshly as she blinked back her tears.

"_By this time, I was almost completely blind._" Itachi's voice seemed much quieter in her mind and Sakura could feel his presence behind her, like he was trying to comfort her. "_The 'doctor' had been around for a while and even she could not diagnose my illness or cure me._"

"S–Sasuke…" Itachi inhaled deeply, making the blonde woman flinch as she heard the same sound as Sakura, as she heard how much liquid was filling his lungs. It was then that Sakura realised that this woman was no ordinary doctor.

The younger brother's lower lip was trembling as he crawled onto the bed, looking like a lost child as he grabbed Itachi's hand, without words telling his big brother that he was here. "Itachi, nii–san, _please_, let her help you."

Even though the words weren't spoken, they could all hear them:

_I can't lose you. You're my big brother. I need you. I love you._

It seemed it was those unspoken words that made Itachi's mind up as he looked in the woman's direction, softly nodding his head. When nothing happened, however, Itachi remembered that she wanted him to _voice_ his approval. "Help me…"

And in an instant, Sasuke was shoved off of the bed and the woman's teeth were sinking into Itachi's neck.

Once again, the memory drifted into another and then another, each showing her how Itachi grew accustomed to his new life, how the woman had changed not only himself, but his family, too. It was to stop him from accidentally feeding on them and killing them more than anything else, but still. Itachi had always been silently grateful that he hadn't been forced to continue this life, this existence, without his clan.

"_These are all of my memories, Sakura–san._" His voice murmured inside of her mind, showing her memories of the many, many, _many_ years that had passed. "_As you can see, I am not lying to you. My words are the absolute truth._"

And it was just like that, that Sakura was back in the present, gasping for air as she felt her knees grow weak, but something strong seemed to be keeping her standing. Sakura didn't need to look over her shoulder to know it was Itachi. For some reason, it was like part of her knew it was him. She wouldn't say romantically, but Sakura had no idea how else to name the feelings inside of her. Everything was such a mess inside of her head at that moment in time.

"So…" When she got her breath back, she stood up straighter, turning around to face Itachi. If he was surprised by how close Sakura was and how she didn't make a single move to put more space between them, he didn't show it. "Are you saying that I'm like you now? That I'm a… a vampire?"

Itachi nodded once before repeating his earlier question. Sakura only vaguely noticed that his eyes were no longer red as they faded back to their original colour. She found she preferred these eyes much better. They seemed kinder, gentler, somehow. "What do you know about vampires?"

"You drink people's blood… sleep in coffins… and you can't go out into the sunlight…"

He almost smiled at her predictable answer, at the unsure tone in her voice. It was obvious Sakura was just going on what she had heard, on the horror stories she had been told and the movies she had seen.

Once again, he took her hand after releasing his hold on her, guiding her out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, moving towards the living area where he sat her down on the sofa. Silently, Itachi sat down beside her, highly aware of the fact Sakura was staring at him, watching his every move as though she was expecting him to pounce on her.

"First of all," Itachi couldn't help but smirk softly, catching Sakura's eyes, "we can go out into the sunlight and also, we do not sleep in coffins. We're not the vampires in the stories you have read about, Sakura–san. Those vampires are make believe."

"_All_ vampires are supposed to be make believe."

If it hadn't been for his sensitive hearing, Itachi would never have heard her muttered words. It honestly surprised him that Sakura was taking the news so well. He had been expecting her to get a little emotional and had silently been preparing himself for the possibility of her hating him for doing this to her, for changing her into something people had nightmares about.

"That…" Sakura swallowed hard, looking up at him hesitantly. "That thing that you did… with your eyes…"

Knowing exactly what she wanted to know, Itachi shook his head. "You will not be able to use the sharingan. Only an Uchiha can use it. I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but once we were changed, we received these… gifts."

"Will I receive a gift?"

"It's hard to tell." he told her softly, the smoothness of his voice seeming like music to her. "Everybody is different. Shisui was the first to activate the sharingan and it took my mother a lot longer than the rest of us to activate hers. The gifts come to us when we need them most or are least expecting them. As I said: everybody is different. You could be awakening your gift tomorrow, for all we know. It happens suddenly. So just because you don't have one now, it does not mean you won't ever have one."

Sakura nodded, looking down at her hands that were clasped on her lap. Honestly, she didn't know what to feel. "So now what?"

This time, Itachi sighed as he sat up straighter. "Now, you must choose whether you wish to stay as a member of our clan or go your own way."

Go her own way? Going her own way would mean that she would be alone in a new, even scarier world that she knew nothing about. Sakura looked down at her hands, the hands she had used to heal people, to save lives. Now, she would be taking them just so she could keep herself alive. How could she do that?

"I don't want to hurt people." Sakura whispered, biting down on her bottom lip.

It felt like she was about to cry, but her tears wouldn't fall. Her eyes were filled with tears, she could tell because they had blurred her vision, but they wouldn't fall. For that, Sakura couldn't help but feel grateful because whilst this new life was scary, she didn't want to seem emotionally weak, like she couldn't handle it. At the end of the day, Itachi had done what he did to save her, hadn't he? If she had never asked him to help her then she would be dead right now. There would be nothing. Her life would simply be over.

"You don't have to hurt innocent people." Itachi's voice was quiet, though not as quiet as hers. It seemed like his voice was naturally soft and gentle. Well, as natural as a vampire could be. "If you choose to stay with my clan, I will help you control your thirst. It won't be easy but it is not impossible."

"What do you mean 'innocent' people?" She frowned, finally looking up into his eyes for the first time in a while.

He didn't answer for a while, leading Sakura to believe that he wouldn't answer at all, but then, just as she was about to give up with expecting an answer, he spoke. "My clan and I only feed on criminals. Murderers, muggers, rapists, thugs…" Again, there was yet another moment of silence as Itachi watched Sakura look down at her hands once again. "There is something else you should know about." At her detached nod, if one could even call it that, Itachi continued. "Because I was the one who changed you, we are connected. There is a bond between us now, just like there is a bond between my clan and the woman who saved my life."

With obvious uncertainty, Sakura looked up at him. "So that's what this feeling is? The feeling of a… a pull?" He nodded, making her bite her lip once again. "I thought it was just something to do with being a… you know…"

At her grimace, Itachi sighed. Perhaps she wasn't handling it as well as he had thought. Hell, she couldn't even say 'vampire' without pulling a face! "At first, the bond will be difficult to ignore, especially for you since you are new to this life. My first bond with the woman who changed me was easier to handle, to ignore, because she left shortly after explaining everything to me and my family. We left our home town behind, knowing that the others would see a difference in us, that they would know something was wrong and we were not human."

Sakura's mind was spinning. The way Itachi was explaining everything to her made her think of the history books she had once read back in school. It made her think of when witches and vampires were hunted centuries ago. Just how old was Itachi? Over two hundred, possibly even three hundred years old? It didn't seem possible, yet as she looked into his eyes, Sakura could see something within them. What she could see, she didn't know, but amongst all of that emptiness, there was a look of exhaustion, like a man who had seen many things in his time. It reminded her of the veterans who would come to the hospital for check–ups, of those who had lost a lot.

The pull was back, she noticed dully, looking down at her hands once more. It seemed to connect them through their emotions, through what they were feeling. As far as Sakura could tell there was nothing sexual about it, thankfully. She wasn't sure if she was ready for anything such as that, especially not after everything that had happened recently. No, it was like… it felt like… Sakura wasn't even sure. It was hard to explain. Almost like affection, but much stronger.

Pushing aside those feelings for now, Sakura focused on another feeling that was burning in her gut – anger. She had always been a short–tempered person who used her fists to settle things but this felt nothing like her usual anger. This anger felt like it was scorching her from the inside, making her feel almost nauseous and leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Sakura bit her lip, taking a deep breath through her nose and closing her eyes, trying her best to shove the swelling anger out of her system, but no matter how hard she tried, it would not leave.

"It is to be expected."

Her head snapped up, eyes opening before they narrowed suspiciously. She hadn't said anything to him, had she? "What?"

"Your anger." Itachi replied as he sat back on the sofa, his right hand holding his left wrist in a way that made her inwardly frown. Was he in pain or did he just prefer to sit that way? It seemed to be the latter as his legs stretched out and his ankles crossed and at that moment, he looked at peace, effectively making Sakura relax, too. "After everything that has happened to you, it can only be expected that you feel a need for revenge."

Revenge… So that was what the feeling was? Now that Sakura truly thought about it… She frowned. Now, what? She was just going to go out there and kill the guys who had abused her?

"Revenge is a tempting thought," She smirked before it slipped away, leaving her to look unsure and even a little bit scared, "but I just can't see myself hurting anyone, even the men who hurt me." Her frown returned as she looked back down at her hands as they clenched into fists. "I'm not saying that if I happen to see them that I'll be able to stop myself from… I don't know, attacking them, I guess… But I don't think I could just go out there searching for them. I mean, where would I even begin?"

"There's always a trail left behind."

The new voice, along with a flash of colour in her mind, startled her to say the least and in response, Sakura was on her feet in an instant, whirling around to look at the man who had just entered the room. She recognised him immediately, but there was something different about him. He wasn't the same boy from Itachi's memories. Sasuke looked colder, almost exactly like their father.

Itachi sighed, closing his eyes and seeming almost tired. The sight made Sakura inwardly frown as she felt his emotions through their bond. He was… hurting? Not physically, of course. But it seemed to hurt him emotionally to see his little brother so cold and distant, to see Sasuke looking as though he hated the world and everyone in it. "It is not polite to eavesdrop, Sasuke."

"I came to see the new addition." Sasuke replied in a flat voice, looking at Sakura with such a scrutinizing gaze that it made her shuffle from one foot to another.

Damn… Even Fugaku hadn't managed to make her this unsettled! Just what the hell was Sasuke's problem?

"Sakura–san is not an 'addition'." Itachi replied, his eyes opening once again as he looked in Sasuke's direction, though since his brother was behind him, he couldn't see Sasuke. "She is a member of our clan now."

Sasuke's eyes slid over to the back of Itachi's head, narrowing as they did so and in response, Sakura's own eyes narrowed. Why the hell was he looking at Itachi in such a way? What happened to the little boy who had cried for his brother? Who had disobeyed his parents just to make sure he was okay? This boy, this _man_, seemed bitter.

Instead of replying to his brother, Sasuke looked back over to Sakura, his blank expression returning. "It will be easy for you to find the men who attacked you." He continued, acting like Itachi hadn't said a word. "You can–"

"No!" she snapped, her eyes widening. "I _don't_ want revenge."

He simply raised an eyebrow. "And if those men attack other innocent girls, girls who are much younger than yourself?"

"Enough, Sasuke." Itachi told his brother as he stood up and turned to face him. "Sakura–san has only been awake for two hours–"

"What's your point?"

Itachi simply sighed, shaking his head with what Sakura presumed as disappointment. "You of all people should understand how fragile the mind is after such a change." In response, Sasuke's upper lip curled and his fists clenched, quite honestly startling Sakura, especially when his eyes began to bleed red. However, Itachi didn't look moved in the slightest and merely stood his ground, watching Sasuke with blank, dark eyes. "If Sakura–san focuses too much on revenge, her memories of her human life will eventually fade away."

"_What?"_

At her yell, Itachi once again sighed and looked over his shoulder at her. "I would have told you, but we were interrupted."

Sakura's frown deepened as she looked between the two brothers. "I–I'm going to lose my memories?"

"Only if you allow your need for revenge to consume you."

Her eyes slowly slid to Sasuke. "…Is that what happened to you?" His eyes locked onto hers, the black tomoe in his rage–filled, red eyes spinning wildly. "I–I mean you… You're not the same as you were in the memories!"

"Sasuke," Itachi snapped, finally losing his patience and temper, "if you cannot control yourself, then leave. I will not have you harming Sakura–san."

"Why? Because she's your mate?" Sasuke scoffed, his eyes darting over to Itachi's and narrowing. "_Please_. We all know that she won't last a month if she can't even bring herself to hunt."

"Leave." Itachi repeated as his eyes slowly began to bleed red. It seemed so much scarier when it was him who activated the sharingan and Sakura felt a cold shiver run up her spine before she could even control herself.

Muttering under his breath about foolish, pathetic weaklings, Sasuke stalked out of the room so quickly that, had Sakura still been human, she would not have seen a thing. He simply would have been there one moment, then gone the next. As for his comments… She bit her lip. She would be lying if she said that his words didn't hurt her, because they did. However, considering that she was new to this sort of life, and after everything she had been through, Sakura wasn't allowing his harsh words to hit her too hard.

Itachi sighed, watching his brother leave and once he was gone, his sharingan slowly faded away back into his usual onyx coloured eyes. He had felt Sakura's fear at seeing them, though Itachi wondered if it had more to do with the expression that had been on his face.

"There are alternatives." he murmured to her suddenly, taking Sakura's mind off of focusing on Sasuke's words. "Instead of sating your thirst with human blood, you could settle for animal blood instead. It is rare for a vampire to do so, but not unheard of."

She bit her lip and honestly couldn't deny that right now, she could do with something to sink her teeth into. The thought had her shuddering delicately. It wasn't that Sakura was in a violent mood, it was just that… Well, she was thirsty, though this definitely did not feel like your every day thirst that was so easy to quench. This thirst felt more like a burning in her throat, like she had gone weeks (even though it was impossible for a human) without water whilst wandering blindly around a desert under an unforgiving sun. It was painful to say the least.

"I…" Sakura frowned, her eyes lowering to the ground. "I want to try and… hunt. If you'd show me how, of course."

Itachi nodded once. "Very well."

* * *

**A/N - I hope you all have a Happy New Year!**

**So, how are all of you liking it so far? :-)**


	4. The Hunt

**Chapter 3 – The Hunt**

Before leaving, Sakura had changed into more suitable clothing, smiling gratefully at Mikoto as she told her to wear whatever she wanted out of her closet. Heels and dresses just weren't her thing. Sure, every now and then, Sakura enjoyed dressing up and doing her hair and makeup, but honestly? Not to be conceited or anything, but Sakura was certain she could now wear a plastic bag and somehow manage to pull it off. No makeup, no fancy hairstyle and no accessories needed. Just her.

She had never felt that way before. Growing up, Sakura had always felt rather inadequate in the looks department. Her skin had never been the smoothest and her curves hadn't started to fill out until she hit sixteen and by that time, school was almost over, meaning she couldn't show them off to those who had picked on her. To make matters worse, Sakura had a large forehead. Okay, sure, she had sort of grown into it, but that was mostly because of the way she styled her hair. To say the bullies had enjoyed tormenting her about it would be an understatement.

Wearing thick, black leggings and a long–line, stone coloured jersey sweatshirt that fell to mid–thigh and off one shoulder, Sakura slipped on a pair of dark grey military boots and stood up.

Not for the first time, she noticed how much lighter her body felt, yet at the same time, Sakura could feel the power coursing within her. She clenched her fists, looking down at them with fascination. It felt so natural, now. Well, it had always felt natural to her to fight, but now? Now it felt like it was more than just a part of who she was. Sakura wasn't even sure how that was possible, but it was. And it made her feel so very powerful.

Leaving her bangs down to frame the sides of her face and pulling her short hair up into a high ponytail, Sakura inwardly frowned. Before Itachi had changed her, her hair had reached down to her waist. However, Mikoto had informed her that whilst cleaning her up, she had unfortunately had to cut it all off due to it being matted with blood and debris. Now, instead of reaching her waist, it just about reached her shoulders. It looked nice, Sakura supposed. The spiky hairdo would just take a while to get used to.

Focusing on little, unimportant things kept her mind off of what she was about to do.

Mikoto gave her a polite smile as Sakura left the woman's closet.

"Thank you for sharing your–"

"There's no need to thank me, Sakura–chan." Mikoto told her softly. "Until we are able to buy you belongings of your own, feel free to share mine."

They had warned her that going into town would be difficult for her right now. Not only because she had friends and family who lived there and would recognise her in an instant, but also because of her thirst. It was why the Uchiha clan chose to live in a clearing in the middle of a forest. In highly populated areas, it would be harder to keep their thirst under control. They hadn't said it, but Sakura could tell by the slight shift in Mikoto's eyes that she was thinking of Sasuke more than the rest of them.

After Sakura replied with a nod and grateful smile, Mikoto gestured for the girl to follow her, leading Sakura through the house. Once again, Sakura was stunned by just how beautiful it was. It was large and traditional, everything looking as though it had a purpose for being there. And although Sakura was used to living in a small house with her parents, she was already beginning feel like this was her home, now.

Once they reached Itachi, who was waiting patiently outside, Mikoto smiled down at Sakura. "Shisui will be returning tonight and he sounds rather excited to meet you, Sakura–chan."

"To meet _me?"_ she asked, sounding as though she couldn't believe the woman for even a second. "Why?"

Of course Sakura already knew who Shisui was. He was Itachi's cousin and she had seen him in Itachi's memories. At that time, he had been tired, worried and filled with despair, just like Sasuke had been. Had Shisui changed, too? Was he the same as Sasuke? Was he cold and bitter, making her feel uncomfortable in his presence? At the small smirk gracing Itachi's lips and the smile on Mikoto's, Sakura was willing to bet that no, Shisui hadn't changed.

"He is rather excitable." Itachi told her.

"That would be an understatement." Mikoto chuckled, watching with warm eyes as Sakura made her way over to Itachi, standing quietly by his side and looking up at him with wide, stunning eyes. Was the girl even aware of how she was staring at Itachi? There was admiration in her eyes as well as awe. "Be careful, Sakura–chan. Itachi, make sure you stay clear of the path."

The path? Sakura frowned before her eyes widened a fraction. The path! It was where hikers would meet up before beginning their journey through the forest. At the moment, they were pretty deep into the forest, but what if they stumbled across someone? No! Sakura trusted Itachi not to let her harm a person. She may not have known him long, but from his memories, Sakura had been able to tell that he didn't relish the thought of harming innocent people, either. Hell, he was taking her out to hunt animals when he usually hunted criminals.

With a nod from Itachi to his mother, they set off. It was with a steady pace that they walked into the trees and it seemed that Itachi was giving her some time to get used to everything. She was glad for that, because Sakura couldn't help but look around with large eyes. Previously, as a human, she had enjoyed hiking with her friends, had always enjoyed the outdoors, but now it seemed so much more beautiful. Now, Sakura could see _everything_ in very fine details. A drop of water running down a flower petal, each blade of grass beneath her feet, the leaves above her…

"It's so beautiful." Sakura murmured.

Itachi couldn't help but smile down at the look of awe on her face. It was so genuine, so innocent. It was something he hadn't seen in a long time.

Sakura was unaware of Itachi's eyes on her face as she listened to the sounds of wildlife. Somewhere in the distance she could hear water flowing gently down a stream and knew in an instant what lake it was. It was one she and her friends had once camped at and it startled her how much sharper her hearing was now. The lake had to be at least two miles north from where she was right now! Hearing that far shouldn't even be possible.

"Does the lake run by here?"

He paused for a moment, listening to the sounds around him before nodding. "Yes. Not too far from us and about a quarter of a mile away."

She was honestly so grateful to hear that. If Sakura could hear everything within two miles, it would have driven her insane. So many different sounds, different conversations…

As Itachi guided her towards the lake, Sakura realised that it was more of a stream that led to the lake and it looked as though it went on for miles! The area surrounding it was stunning, though. There were different varieties of flowers, their colours bursting with brightness and beauty. The sun shone stubbornly through the leaves in the trees, forcing its brightness into the small clearing and onto the flowers that were eagerly soaking up every bit of light and heat. Sakura was certain she could sit there all day and simply marvel at everything. It was breathtaking.

"When I was younger," Sakura said suddenly to Itachi, "me and my friend, Ino, would pick flowers together and make bouquets. She told me that one day, I would blossom into a beautiful flower."

The look in her eyes, the pained look that flitted across her features, had Itachi watching her closely. Through their bond, he could feel… grief? "What happened to her?"

Sakura glanced down at the flowers. "There was an accident one day at her house. She and a few friends she had met while clubbing were drinking and things got out of hand. For Ino, it was her average weekend. You see, she enjoyed going out and getting drunk, meeting new people. But… that day…" There was a pause as Sakura clenched her fists tightly. "One of her '_friends_' started a fire and trapped them all inside. Sixteen people were inside and not a single one of them made it out alive. None of them were able to be identified in any way other than their dental records." Her chest constricted painfully as her vision blurred. "Ino was like a sister to me. She helped me through so much."

"How long ago was the fire?"

"Seven months ago, now." Sakura whispered before wiping under her eyes, forcing herself to push aside her pain. Remembering how her best friend had died, in such a horrific way, was always painful. Instead, Sakura preferred to think about all the times they had spent together. "Anyway! Aren't we supposed to be hunting?"

The smile on her face wasn't genuine anymore, Itachi noted.

"Focus on your surroundings." he told her after a moment and when she did so, he continued. "What do you hear?"

"Birds… The wind…" Eyebrows knitting together ever so slightly, she looked up at him. "Footsteps?"

Itachi nodded once. "How many?"

Focusing a little harder, Sakura waited for a couple of minutes. "Sixteen."

"Four." he corrected patiently. "Each animal has four legs, which is most likely why you thought the number was higher."

If she was still human, Sakura was certain she would have blushed at her mistake. Her guess had been so far off! In school, it was no secret that she had been a bookworm, had been one of the smartest kids there as well as kind of a teacher's pet.

"How far away?"

As Itachi's voice drifted to her, knocking her out of her embarrassed thoughts, Sakura looked around. "I'd say about… a mile south from us."

He gave her a small smile and nodded once.

And then he started to run and Sakura found it difficult to keep up, but at the same time, it was exhilarating. The speed she could travel at was… She didn't even know how to describe it! Despite moving so fast through the forest, it felt like everything was in slow motion. Like earlier, Sakura could see and hear everything, so she didn't have to worry about crashing into trees or tripping over roots.

In front of her, Itachi was as graceful as ever. The power in his movements that had previously been displayed was back once again and with each stride, it only increased. His hair that was pulled back in a loose and low ponytail was billowing behind him, seeming like a wave of darkness. Each of his movements held a purpose and for a moment, Sakura's breath caught. When she had seen him for the first time (the night she had been attacked), she had believed he was an angel. The second time, he was beautiful. And now? It was like Itachi was a God. She didn't mean that in a "he's so much better than everyone else" kind of way. It was the feelings he radiated, the peace that was surrounding him. It was how beautiful he was, yet powerful and so very deadly at the same time.

She hoped that she looked as graceful as he did.

They were there in no time and as Sakura caught up to Itachi, it was like her body was a shadow of his as she suddenly began to move like a predator. She was silent, moving through the trees without making a sound. As he jumped up to a branch, Sakura did the same and crouched down beside Itachi, watching as a hungry gaze flickered through his eyes, a look that marked him as the dangerous predator he was. It was thrilling to see such a look, if Sakura was honest and she wondered that, as Itachi locked gazes with her, if she held the same look in her eyes.

The sound of heartbeats, of blood rushing through bodies, had her head snapping to the right, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the four animals. It seemed to be a pack of some sort. A wolf pack. They were all roughly around the same size and colour, though it was obvious who the leader was. He was the meaner looking dog, the largest one. Half of his ear was missing and there was a scar running down his face. The leader of the pack was pacing around and Sakura could literally hear his blood pumping through his body.

A wild look unknowingly entered her eyes as she readjusted her position, her right leg positioning itself on the edge of the branch.

And then she was vaulting off the branch, tackling the large dog to the ground. There was growling and barking, though Sakura was certain that she was the one who was growling. It sounded too feminine to belong to the wolf that was now beneath her, who was struggling to escape her grasp. She broke its neck so that it wouldn't feel much pain and it was in a so very primal way that she moved forward with unseeable speed, that she sunk her teeth into his neck. In fact, it felt like a natural instinct.

Behind her, Sakura could hear Itachi taking down another member of the wolf pack, though she was much too focused on her own meal to look over at him. Her eyes closed. It was strange. Not too long ago, Sakura was certain that she would have thrown up if she drank blood, but now? Now it tasted like the best thing she had ever had. She knew that human blood would be even better, but she could settle with animal blood.

After all, she had always eaten meat before being changed, so what difference did it make, now? The only difference was that, instead of being dead and cooked when it was served to her, she instead caught her meal and ate it, _drank it_, raw.

Once done with the leader of the pack, Sakura stood up straight and shot over to the next. It seemed to be in shock as she snapped its neck and fed herself.

By the time she stood up once again, Itachi had long ago finished off his two. There was no sign on him to show what he had just done. Not a single speck of blood, not even a hair from the dogs on his clothing. There wasn't even any blood around his mouth or a hair on his head out of place.

Itachi stepped towards her and raised his hand, making Sakura's breath catch in her throat as his thumb wiped the corners of her mouth gently, cleaning the blood away from her lips.

"Do you want more?"

More of the touching? Well, to be honest, she wouldn't exactly hate it.

Wait.

He meant more blood.

"I'm fine for now." Sakura told him quietly, missing his touch as Itachi dropped his hand and took a step back, surveying the area around them.

And then suddenly, the bodies of the lifeless wolves were piled up and burning. It seemed Itachi had been holding back whilst he was running with her, because Sakura had barely even seen him move or set them on fire!

"Never leave any evidence behind." Itachi warned her. "It would tell others of our kind that we are here and not all of them are friendly."

Of course, she already knew that having met Sasuke earlier. Instead of saying that, however, she nodded once in understanding.

It was strange how quickly the fire burned out once the bodies were nothing but ashes and once they were, Itachi made sure to get rid of every single bit of evidence.

"Can we go and sit by the lake for a while?" Sakura asked him as they made their way back. They weren't running like before. They were taking their time. "I like it there. It's relaxing."

"Of course." he replied, giving her a small smile.

And so they did. They sat together near the lake for what only seemed like minutes, but it was actually hours. Because of how much Itachi had shared with her about his illness and getting used to being a vampire, she told him about her life. How, before the attack, she had been a doctor–in–training at the hospital. Bragging just a little bit, Sakura told him about how she was able to help out at the hospital due to how skilled the head doctor had found her.

It saddened Sakura that she would no longer be able to continue with her job. It would be way too risky what with all the blood and gore at the hospital.

When the sun began to set, Itachi told her to follow him as he hopped from branch to branch, going higher and higher into the trees until they broke through the leaves. For what felt like the millionth time that day, Sakura was left speechless as well as breathless. From their position, they could see the tops of many, many, _many _trees that stretched out for miles. But that wasn't what caused her breath to catch, that caused a smile to brighten her face. It was the setting sun. It was the many different colours in the sky. Oranges, reds, yellows… There were so many shades of colours!

"Itachi–san," Itachi looked over to her, surprised momentarily at the smile she sent to him, "thank you for saving me."

They returned not long after the sun had finally set. Not much had been said after Sakura had thanked Itachi. They were simply content with sitting silently in each other's presence.

"It seems Shisui has arrived." Itachi murmured to her as they walked up the steps leading to the front door.

Indeed he had. There was talking in what Sakura guessed as the living room, but since she had not yet had a full tour of the house, she wasn't too sure. For all she knew, it could have been a study. It seemed to be a conversation between Mikoto and Shisui, although Sakura could feel the presence of Sasuke and Fugaku not too far from them. It made her slightly unsure of entering the living room as they stepped into Itachi's home. Was Sasuke still angry with her?

A hand was gently placed on her shoulder and Sakura remembered that Itachi could feel everything she could. Since the others had heard their arrival and would no doubt hear them if they spoke now, Itachi was telling her, without words, that she would be fine. Sasuke wouldn't try to harm her even if he was still angry.

The door opened just as Itachi dropped his hand back to his side, revealing Mikoto. "It seems you finally decided to come home." she teased softly, stepping to the side so that they could enter the room. "It took you quite a while. There weren't any problems, were there?"

Sakura noticed how both Fugaku and Sasuke were suddenly watching her with hard eyes, waiting to hear if she had failed and Sasuke's earlier words drifted through her mind. "_We all know that she won't last a month if she can't even bring herself to hunt"_. Apparently he wasn't the only one who thought that if the look in Fugaku's eyes meant anything. He was watching both her and Itachi closely.

"No." Itachi told her truthfully though his eyes never left Fugaku's and Sasuke's as they turned to look at him. It was almost as though he was daring them to say something. "We were merely sitting by the lake and enjoying the sunset."

"It's beautiful there." Mikoto sighed with a smile. "In the spring, it is even more breathtaking."

"So," a new voice called out as he walked into the room once again, "where is the girl who managed to–"

His voice cut off as his dark eyes widened, locking onto Sakura's apple green eyes.

"You…" he breathed.

Sakura frowned and looked up at Itachi, who seemed just as confused though he hid his well. It was only because of their bond that she could feel his confusion. However, just as Sakura turned back to face Shisui, her eyes widened as he was suddenly _right there_. Even Mikoto was surprised by the movement. Itachi narrowed his eyes a fraction as Shisui reached up and gently grabbed her chin, turning her head this way and that to see the different angles.

"Haruno Sakura." Shisui's voice was stronger now, though there was a certain edge to it. "You went missing over a week ago around eleven at night. You were supposed to be working a shift at the hospital, though you never turned up. There were no trails, no leads. It was as though you vanished. Even I could not pick anything up."

"Then you were not looking in the right place." Itachi told him as Sakura took an uncertain step back, her eyes wide as she moved closer to Itachi.

Shisui narrowed his eyes but he dismissed his comment. "There are a lot of people searching for you, Haruno–san."

"T–There are?" she whispered.

He nodded once, his expression grim as he glanced up at his cousin. "You should have told me that the girl you changed was Haruno Sakura. I could have fabricated a lead to make it look as though she had died. Her parents believe that she is travelling with friends for some reason."

Everyone looked down at Sakura. "I… I always told them that one day, I want to travel the world." Her voice was still no louder than a whisper as she spoke, but when she continued, it was louder. "I've always wanted to go to different countries and help out at their hospitals, to learn about different cultures." Looking up at Shisui, she frowned. "But I don't understand why they would think I'm travelling since I don't exactly have the funds to do so. That's the reason why I had taken the midnight shift at the hospital. I was saving up."

"I don't know why they think that, either." Shisui told her honestly. "Your mother simply told me that perhaps you have gone travelling."

Her mother. They hadn't ever been that close, to be honest. Sakura was more of a daddy's girl. There were moments when she would open up to her mother, but they were rare to happen. No, they argued more than they actually spoke. "My mother and I never really saw eye–to–eye." she told him, her frown deepening. "We argued a lot about all sorts of different things."

"And your father?" Mikoto asked gently.

"He always spoiled me." Sakura spoke softly as she looked down at the ground. "Whenever he could, he would buy me nice dresses or take me out for the day. However, the moment I told him about wanting to travel, he chipped in. Every month he would place about a third of his pay–check into my savings account." She bit the inside of her lip harshly. Just thinking about never seeing him again was causing her intense pain and Sakura knew that she would definitely miss him more than anything. "It's safe to say that I was a 'daddy's girl'." She gave a small, forced smile before growing serious. "He would never believe that I've simply gone travelling as my father knows that he is the first person I would tell before leaving."

It was Sasuke who spoke next. "Does your mother hate you?"

"Sasuke!" Mikoto chided, her eyes widening with shock.

"Excuse me?"

Ignoring his mother, Sasuke instead focused on Sakura. "You said so yourself that you never got on with her. What if she had planned your attack and paid the men to–"

"Stop talking about revenge!" Sakura yelled angrily, her fists clenching tightly by her sides. "I don't know what the hell happened to you to make you so obsessed with it, but stop thinking that everything leads to revenge! We never got on, but my mother still loves me. I'm her daughter! What sort of mother would kill their own child? What sort of mother would pay men to _beat and rape their own daughter_?" Her upper lip curled as Sakura snarled at Sasuke, as her previous murderous anger started to swell. "If you're only going to try and mess with my head, to make me like _you,_ then please just… _stop!"_

Silence.

There was a flash in Sasuke's eyes, one that told her he was enjoying the challenge of somebody finally standing up to him. No doubt the others simply ignored his anger or spoke to him gently. If the shock on Mikoto's face was anything to go by, she had obviously never yelled at him the way Sakura just had. Hell, even Fugaku looked shocked!

And then, he was smirking at her. "Perhaps having you around will finally make things more entertaining."

With that said, Sasuke seemed to completely relax.

Sakura had never felt so confused before. A couple of hours ago, it had taken Itachi more or less threatening him to make Sasuke back down, but just now, all she'd had to do was use words. She stared at him for a few moments as Sasuke leaned against the wall and shoved his hands into his pockets. How could he ask questions like that, get screamed at, and then act as though nothing had even happened? Was he mentally unstable? Was he merely bored? Or could Sasuke switch his emotions on and off?

"Okay…" Shisui said slowly, seeming just as unsure and confused as Sakura. "I can try and create a false–"

"No." Sakura interrupted him. "I'll… go and see him. My mom will be at work tonight so my dad should be alone."

Fugaku narrowed his eyes. "Are you certain that that is a wise decision? I am sure that you are much different than how you used to be."

She nodded. "I am. But I can't just let them go on living like this, wondering what happened to me. I can't do that to them."

"They would never be at peace." Mikoto agreed and the slight twitch of her hands, as though they were about to be raised to her chest, told Sakura that she knew what that pain was like. Maybe not exactly what it was like, since both of her children were still (somewhat) alive. No, her oldest son, her first child, had been sentenced to death the moment the doctor diagnosed him. That kind of pain had to be unbearable for a mother. All they ever wanted was to see their children grow old and live happy lives.

But then again, Itachi and Sasuke were never going to grow old. They were forever stuck in their twenty–one and sixteen year old bodies. It kind of startled Sakura when she discovered that Sasuke was no older than sixteen. Well, he had been sixteen when he was changed. She still wasn't sure on how long the Uchiha clan had been vampires for because it was obvious Itachi wasn't all that comfortable telling her. Centuries. All Sakura knew was that they had been vampires for a couple of centuries. And now, she would be stuck in her eighteen year old body.

She couldn't complain, really. If there was any age to freeze and live at forever, she would have chosen eighteen. Or perhaps twenty–five. There was just something about that number that she liked.

"I can go at midnight." Sakura said carefully and her hesitance made it obvious she was scared of harming her father. "But… Itachi–san…" Biting her lip for a second, she glanced up at him. "Please would you come with me? I don't want to accidentally hurt him if I can't stay in control."

It would haunt her for the rest of her unnatural life.

"Of course."

Her eyes closed for a second as she let out a slow exhale, almost like a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Pack a couple of bags of your belongings." Shisui ordered her and gave Sakura a serious look. "Take all of your bank cards, anything that is of importance to you and whatever else you can think of. It will be more believable that way, especially if you're as close to your father as you say you are. If he knows there are certain items that hold sentimental value to you, then he will know that you would never leave them behind." He paused for a moment and during that pause, he turned his dark gaze onto Itachi. "Be as quick as you possibly can and if he needs a reason why, tell him that you will otherwise miss your flight. I will contact an airport close by and ask for their next flight to wherever. Itachi, it is important that you do not say what your name is. I am in charge of this case and Kizashi–san knows my surname."

Sakura frowned up at him. "If it's important to stay hidden, why are you working for the police force?"

Shisui's serious look melted away to a smirk. "Have you ever heard of me before today?" Slowly, Sakura shook her head. "That is why. I don't do anything that will attract attention. I simply turn up, do my job, save people, and then return home. It beats sitting around all day and watching paint dry." Seeing her look around at the rest of them, Shisui continued. "My uncle also works in the police force. Sasuke… trains. Itachi is like a detective of sorts and Mikoto designs."

"What do you design?" Sakura asked.

"Anything." answered Mikoto. "It ranges from clothing to homes to whatever I set my mind to. Once you return, I will show you my work."

She smiled brightly. That actually sounded pretty great right about now. And normal.

* * *

She and Itachi waited for a while until it turned around eleven. Once it had, he showed her to his car, they got in, and drove straight to her home. It should have been a three hour drive, but because of Itachi's reflexes and the fact that there was hardly anyone out tonight, they made it in one and a half.

Just like Sakura had thought, her mother was not in. Her parents only had one car that they shared and if they needed it at the same time, they took turns. For example, one time when they had both needed it, her mother took the car whilst her father rode the bus. The next time, they swapped around. Sakura had been hoping to use the car for herself, to drive to work and back, but it was almost always being used. Her father worked in the morning through to the afternoon and sometimes, her mother's shifts varied from afternoon shifts to night ones.

All lights were off in the home except for the living room and as they both climbed out of the car and made their way towards her old home, a figure could be made out in the room through the thin, net curtains. It was her father. He was seated on the old navy sofa with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, staring down at something on the coffee table. Due to their angle, even with their advanced eyesight, they couldn't tell what it was.

Already she could hear her father's heartbeat. She could hear the blood pumping through his veins. She could hear each and every breath he took, heard how it was shaking ever so slightly as he released it.

Human blood.

It smelled delicious.

"Can you handle it?"

Sakura looked up at Itachi, willing herself to ignore the temptation of her father's blood. But it was like it was calling to her. "Stop me if I try to hurt him, Itachi–san."

He nodded once.

And then she was knocking.

Kizashi's movements sounded sluggish to them both, like it was taking him a lot of effort to simply get off the sofa. It inwardly had Sakura frowning. Whilst on his days off, if he wasn't spoiling her, her father enjoyed lounging around on the sofa and watching television, but this seemed different. His feet were dragging along the floor, his footsteps heavy and, for just a moment, he stumbled.

Itachi discreetly sniffed the air just as her father was about to open the door. "He is drunk."

Drunk? But her father never drank alcohol! He always told her that it was poison to your body. How much stress had her disappearance put on her father? Sakura was dreading the moment he opened the door.

"This could work." Itachi murmured quietly as Kizashi messed with the locks, muttering a 'one second'. "If your father is drunk–"

"He'll still take notice. Believe me."

The door swung open and for a moment, there was silence. Kizashi looked as though he had seen a ghost as he stared at Sakura, his eyes wide and his features pale. As for her, Sakura was certain that her own eyes were wider than usual and had she still been human, she knew the colour would have drained from her face, too.

Her father looked rough. His usually neatly trimmed beard was a mess, there were dark circles under his eyes and he looked so much older than what he was. At least ten years older, in fact. And the wrinkles that had slowly been appearing looked as though they were etched into his face.

It certainly took her mind off of sinking her teeth into his neck, but not entirely.

"Dad."

"S–Sakura? Is that really you?"

Suddenly, there were tears in his eyes as he moved forward, as he pulled her to him tightly and told her how happy he was that she was safe, that she was okay and that she was home. Sakura felt like her dead heart was breaking as she held her breath and hugged him just as tightly. His scent was overpowering, however it seemed luck was on her side since the smell of alcohol was just as powerful. Enough so that it almost made her dizzy. It wasn't a pleasant smell. She had never liked alcohol.

"It's me." she whispered once they had parted and she took a safe step back. Itachi placed a hand on her shoulder, but whether it was out of comfort or as a restraint, she wasn't sure. "Oh, I nearly forgot!" Sakura exclaimed with only half of her happiness genuine when she noticed her father's eyes narrowing. "This is my friend–"

"Dai."

"Dai–kun." Sakura repeated after him and as she looked up at Itachi, she was startled to find his sharingan activated and the fact that his hair looked so much shorter. However, as he moved forward to shake Kizashi's hand, she saw that he had simply tucked his ponytail into the back of his jacket. It made sense, really. He had to keep his identity a secret, especially since he was involved in the police department. "Remember him, dad? I told you about him not too long ago."

Kizashi wasn't aware of the fact that Sakura was lying, that she was using his alcohol–dazed mind to her advantage as much as possible. "You did?"

Sakura rolled her eyes playfully, but Itachi could feel through their bond that she was nervous and it was all an act. "Don't tell me you forgot! I told you like, three months ago that we would be going away for a week."

"B–But…" Kizashi frowned in confusion, looking between them both. "But your shift at the hospital…"

She bit her lip, appearing guilty. "Yeah… I kind of forgot to warn them that I wouldn't be turning up for a week. I was just so excited for the short vacation that it slipped my mind. You know how hard it is at the hospital. The work kept piling up on me and in the end, all I could think about was getting away for a while. I'm sure I've told you all this before!" He nodded slowly and unsurely. "Well, Dai–kun is the friend I told you about, dad."

"I have been planning to travel the world for a while." Itachi lied smoothly when Kizashi looked up at him. "Only, I heard that travelling alone can be very lonely and for women, it could be extremely dangerous. Some countries aren't as… kind or friendly as our own." Through the bond, Sakura felt his spike of anger no matter how small it was. But then again, considering what had happened to her in their own country… "Sakura and I have been friends for a while now and I have grown very fond of her. The thought of her going out there by herself, where anything could happen, unnerves me."

The older–looking man was silent for a few moments and during that pause, he gestured for the two to follow him. The silence was tense and uneasy as they entered her old home, as they followed Kizashi over to the living room. Sakura swallowed hard, her throat burning viciously. Being outside was somewhat bearable, but now, she was stuck in her old home where not only the scent of her father lingered pretty much everywhere, but the scent of her mother did, too. There was another scent that was quite strong, though it wasn't fresh and it took Sakura a while to notice it as her own. Well, her human scent, anyway. She was certain it was different now.

Itachi's eyes seemed to flash with an unnamed emotion as he picked up on her previous scent, but he otherwise remained blank.

"You should have warned us, Sakura." Kizashi scolded her as they came to a stop. However, as he turned around and saw his daughter for the first time, his eyes were once again wide. At the door, due to his mistake of not switching on the porch lights, it had been quite dark. The only reason he knew it was Sakura was because he would never mistake those apple green eyes or her hair. Now… Now that he could truly see her… "What happened to you?"

Looking up at Itachi (who, for some strange reason, no longer had the pronounced tear troughs going down his cheeks and there was a strange brown tint to his much shorter hair), Sakura bit her lip and glanced back at her father, appearing guilty once again. "I never told you about this, dad." she sighed. "But I _have_ spoken to mom about it before, back when… during all of that trouble at school." Her father's face suddenly became blank. He knew where this was going. "It's only been a week, but the results have already started to show."

He ran a hand through his greying hair as he shot Sakura an annoyed glare. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop messing with your looks, Sakura? You were fine the way you were!"

"I wasn't happy!"

Itachi could only blink in surprise.

"And just how did you pay for the cosmetic surgery?" Kizashi demanded, his eyes darting up to meet Itachi's. "Did this guy pay for it? Because I sure as hell know that you didn't have the money for stuff like that!"

"Dad–"

"Did you?"

The Uchiha paused for a moment, but knowing it would be best to stick to her lie for it was the only way to explain her startling change in appearance without telling the truth, he said, "Yes."

Kizashi's upper lip curled with anger as his fists clenched. "What did you give him in return, Sakura?" When he was met by silence, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "_What did you give him_?"

"Nothing!" She had never seen her father so angry with her before. Yes, there were times growing up where he would be stern with her, but not once had he yelled at her like this. It had to be the alcohol and the stress that had been building up the past week. "I'm not a whore, dad, and it makes me feel sick that you're even thinking like that! Dai–kun may have paid, but I promised him that I would pay every last bit of the money back."

This was not going how she had planned. Sakura had planned to tell her father they would be leaving, pack her things, tell him goodbye and go. She never expected this anger out of him. She never expected him to scream at her.

By now, Kizashi was red in the face.

"You have been acting differently ever since Ino–"

She couldn't help it.

She slapped him across the face, his head snapping to the side and his cheek immediately turning a purple–red colour. But Sakura was too angry to notice how much strength she had put into the slap. The only thing she could take notice of was Itachi pulling her back. "Don't go bringing up Ino's death to me!" she screamed at him and despite the tears filling her eyes, they would not fall. "You know how hard that hit me! How could you even think to say something like that?"

Kizashi turned back to her, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock, horror and pain. "Sakura, I'm sorry! I didn't…" He ran a shaking hand through his hair. "Your mother and I have been so worried about you. We tried to tell ourselves that you were just travelling, that you would be coming back to us soon, but… With what happened to Ino… Oh, we were so worried!"

Guilt wrapped itself around her tightly and suddenly, her hand felt like it was burning from when she had struck him. "I–I am." she whispered, not even daring to look him in the eye. "My flight leaves tonight. Dai–kun and I are travelling the world together."

"Sakura–"

"I'm eighteen now, so you can't stop me, dad. This is my dream and has been ever since I was a child. You know that. I promise that I will call you every week to tell you how I'm doing o–or send you postcards."

The guilt only increased as tears filled her father's eyes. However, he seemed to respect her wishes as he looked up at Itachi with a serious glare. "Look after my daughter, Dai."

"I will."

* * *

Saying goodbye to her father had been difficult. No, it had been heartbreaking. He had cried, practically begging her to contact him at least once a week or, if possible, as many times as she could a week. Kizashi told her that he was going to miss his little girl. Who else could he spoil now? Mebuki didn't enjoy being pampered or coddled like a baby.

The drive back to the Uchiha home was silent and when they returned, every member of the clan seemed to pick up on her mental exhaustion, so didn't ask any questions as Itachi took her straight up to the room Mikoto had fixed up for her. Due to her uneasiness of Sasuke, she would be staying in the room across from his.

"Do vampires sleep?"

"Yes." he replied without missing a beat.

If they didn't, there would be great psychological problems due to lack of sleep. That was what made vampires so frightening. Ignoring their beauty and unnatural strength and the fact they drank blood, they looked and acted like humans, making it close to impossible to tell them apart. Humans could be working with vampires, and they would never know how close they were to death unless the vampire told them what he really was.

Sakura bit her lip. "Will you stay with me?"

Itachi watched her carefully, watched how she kept her eyes on the ground instead of meeting his. It was because of their bond that he realised she was scared of sleeping alone. All of this was new to her. She was in a house filled with vampires. She would never be seeing her real family or friends ever again. Honestly, Itachi couldn't even blame her for asking.

Instead of replying, he gently took her hand and guided her over to the bed, the pair of them laying on top of the covers. It felt strange holding another being in his arms. Due to his illness, nobody had dared to touch him other than those in his clan and afterwards, Itachi had never trusted himself in touching a human. What if he hurt them? What if he killed them because of his thirst? Yes, there were other vampires out there, but Itachi couldn't trust them, either.

Sakura fell asleep almost instantly in his arms, her small hands tangled in his shirt as though keeping him there with her. Even in sleep, her eyebrows were knitting together and her face was filled with pain and sadness.

And not for the first time since he had changed her, Itachi realised just how truly selfish he was.

* * *

**A/N - I'm trying my best not to make them seem like the vampires in Twilight! There's no sparkly business going on and they sleep _and_ Sakura is the only one who willingly drinks animal blood. It's easier for her because she's never tasted human blood before. Itachi only drinks animal blood when taking her out on a hunt. I know it seems like Twilight, but I actually got that idea from Supernatural... Also, the sleeping thing will be explained in the next chapter. I think the scariest kinds of vampires are the ones who blend in with humans. You'd never know just how much danger you're in until it's too late!**

**I think the short hiatus did me some good, because I've just got my results back for my online-screening exams (you get the results much sooner than the paper exams) and I got an A* in finance, and three marks off full marks in maths. Apparently I got the highest scores out of all those who took the exam! I was so shocked at that, because in school, I was awful at maths and originally got an E in the exam. Quite, _really_, proud myself, so I had to share the news! ;-)**


	5. Getting To Know The Family

**Chapter 4 – Getting To Know The Family**

When she woke up, she found herself alone and for a moment, Sakura couldn't help but panic until she forced herself to calm down. She could feel Itachi because of their bond. He was okay. He was far away from her, but he was okay.

She grumbled to herself as Sakura realised she had fallen asleep in her clothes and to make it worse, as she looked outside, it looked around two in the afternoon. Was it normal for vampires to sleep so much? Weren't they supposed to sleep during the day instead of all night? Right now, Sakura was certain she and the Uchiha clan were just like humans, in a way. Yes, they drank blood and were ridiculously fast, but other than that…

Sighing, Sakura dragged herself out of bed, rummaging through her bags until she found a clean set of underwear and clothes. Once she had found them, she looked around the room unsurely before moving over to a certain door and opening it, only to close it again when Sakura found that it was a closet. Moving to the next door, she smiled to herself. The bathroom!

It felt like she was in the shower for hours as Sakura washed her body, as she massaged the shampoo and conditioner into her now short hair. Despite this being a part of her routine for as long as she could remember, it all felt so new to her. There were no scars on her body and no other blemishes. If she was still human, she would have blushed when Sakura also realised that other than the hair on her head (and obviously her eyebrows, eyelashes, etc) and… other, more intimate, areas… she was completely hairless. Had Mikoto waxed or shaved the hairs off her body whilst she was unconscious? That was weird…

Done in the shower, Sakura stepped out and wrapped a dark towel around her body, moving closer to the mirror to examine herself more closely. After wiping away the steam that had covered it, she narrowed her eyes. It was definitely going to take some time getting used to looking the way she did. Sakura had always had average looks (except for her hair colour, of course). Seeing her perfectly arched eyebrows, her thick and long black eyelashes, her unblemished skin… It was so strange. Was it because of being a vampire? There was no denying that the Uchiha clan were… were flawlessly beautiful to say the least, but her? She had always been billboard brow, Haruno Sakura. Before her attack, she had never even been kissed!

Sakura had always been happy with her purity. It had made her feel different to the other girls at school. She didn't care about being called 'frigid'. At least she could say that she wasn't a whore for sleeping around!

Shoving those angry, bitter thoughts from her mind, Sakura took a deep breath, placed her towel on the counter and turned around, slipping on her clothes. Then, once again grabbing her towel, she wrapped it around her head.

The cool air was pleasant as she left the bathroom and her new bedroom. And, listening carefully to the sounds around her, Sakura followed the nearest one. From the light footsteps and the sound of sweeping, she was guessing it was Mikoto. When she entered the room, she found that she was right.

"Hello, Sakura–chan." Mikoto greeted her as she paused in her cleaning. "Did you sleep well?" Sakura nodded and smiled. "Usually, we only sleep around once or twice a week depending on how much we exhaust ourselves. Unlike humans, we don't need as much rest. However, since you have only just woken up from your transformation, you are bound to be a little tired. How are you feeling?"

"It's difficult getting used to."

At her honest reply, Mikoto gave a gentle, understanding smile. "It gets better, trust me." then, noticing how Sakura was looking around unsurely, the woman had to bite back a smirk. "Itachi is at work right now. He told me to tell you that he will be back around six so that you can both go out and hunt. Again, since you have only just been changed, you will be much thirstier than the rest of us. Sasuke still has difficulty with his thirst."

Sakura nodded once, remembering Shisui's words from the night before about the others having jobs. "Is that why…" trailing off for a moment, Sakura bit her lip. "Is that why Sasuke stays behind and trains?"

"Partly." Mikoto told her with a slight frown. "You see, Sasuke dislikes being crowded and he also doesn't like humans that much."

It was obvious that she wasn't going to go into more detail and Sakura couldn't really blame her. They hadn't known each other all that long and these were clearly family issues. "Do you need any help?" Sakura asked after a couple of minutes, realising that she had simply been standing there.

"Oh, I'm just about done now. Though, if you're feeling up to it, I am about to go and train if you wish to join me?"

A bright smile graced her lips. "I'd love to!"

Mikoto chuckled as she tidied away her cleaning supplies. "I take it you enjoy sparring?"

"Fighting has always come naturally to me." Sakura laughed sheepishly as she scratched her cheek. "My friend once told me that I seem to prefer settling arguments with my fists rather than words."

"That sounds so much like somebody I know." the older woman smiled before gesturing for Sakura to come closer.

Uncertainly, she did so, though a small smile graced her lips as Mikoto guided her over to a chair and unwrapped the towel from around her head, using it to quickly dry Sakura's hair as much as possible. Once done with that, Mikoto disappeared with the towel for a moment and reappeared with a comb in hand.

"I have always wanted a daughter." Mikoto told Sakura and immediately, the woman had her attention. "Don't get me wrong, I am more than happy with my boys and Shisui, but there are times when I wish I could have a daughter to simply…"

When she trailed off, seeming unable to find words, Sakura smiled. "I understand. My mom and I never really got on and she worked all the way through the night, so until I turned eight and could do my hair myself, it was always my dad who brushed it for me or put it up. My mom was too worn out from her shifts at work."

Mikoto was gentle as she worked through the tangles in Sakura's hair, though due to using conditioner whilst in the shower, it was easy to untangle them. "Itachi has such beautiful hair, but he never allows for me to style it." she chuckled and Sakura couldn't help but smirk. The thought of Itachi being in her place, having Mikoto play with his hair, was rather amusing. It was true that he had beautiful hair, though. "And I know that there is no point in asking Sasuke. He would simply roll his eyes and huff!" again, Mikoto chuckled as she parted Sakura's still–damp hair down the middle so that it would be framing her face. "Growing up, there were times when they would allow me to coddle and pamper them, but now they are so determined to be men and do everything for themselves!"

"There's nothing wrong with a mother's affection." Sakura mumbled, staring down at the ground. Her chest was aching slightly at the thought of her mother never doing the same for her. Part of Sakura wondered if Mebuki regretted it now that she was no longer with them. Sakura did. She wished that she had been kinder to her mother, been more open. There was no point in denying that she caused just as many arguments as Mebuki did.

"Indeed there isn't." she replied softly and it was like she could pick up on Sakura's mood as Mikoto placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do not feel guilty about the past, Sakura–chan, and do not have any regrets. The past is in the past and there is nothing that can be done. That chapter of our lives is over, like the sun setting after a long day. All we can do now, is look towards the future."

Sakura nodded and as Mikoto allowed her to get up, now done with her hair, she turned and smiled at her. "Thank you so much for your kindness, Mikoto–san."

"Oh, it's nothing!" placing the comb down on the side and tucking the chair under the table, Mikoto ushered Sakura from the room. "Go and change into more suitable clothes and footwear and we will get started! There is so much to teach you."

Frowning, Sakura did as she was told.

What more could there be to teach her?

* * *

At first, she had wondered just what the hell Mikoto could teach her that she didn't already know.

Now, Sakura knew that there was _a lot_.

For example, despite being told about chakra and hearing about it, Sakura had never been able to use her own. Her instructor had always told her that only the most skilled of warriors could use it and since Sakura wasn't really a warrior…

Well, to be honest, Sakura had pegged it all off as make believe, as complete and utter bullshit.

Now, as Mikoto taught her how to actually summon and use her chakra…

She was shocked to say the least.

"You are doing well, Sakura–chan!" Mikoto told her proudly. "It seems you have perfect control on your chakra already. Are you sure you have never practised using your chakra before?" Sakura shook her head, still stunned with the fact that she was hanging _upside down_ from a freaking branch! "Keep your chakra focused on your feet and walk your way back down the tree."

So she did.

"This is…" Sakura trailed off as she stepped back onto the grass, her eyes wide with surprise. "How is this even possible?"

Mikoto gave a small smirk. "Are you really still asking yourself that?"

Of course. After becoming a vampire, it should have been painfully obvious to her that anything was possible.

Her head snapped up as Mikoto's turned a fraction towards the forest surrounding the Uchiha clan's home. "Sasuke, why don't you join us instead of poorly concealing yourself in the trees?"

As her soft voice reached him, a grunt reached them a second later and not long after that, Sasuke stepped out of the trees on the far end of the clearing. To Sakura, he looked no different than last night, but as she focused on his features, a faint dot of red on the corner of his lips caught her attention.

Blood.

Human blood.

Sasuke had just returned from a hunt.

Sakura bit her lip and looked away, willing herself _not _to focus on the blood, but… damn. Her mouth was watering and her throat was burning already. Mikoto really hadn't been kidding when she warned her about being thirstier than the others, had she?

Noticing this, Mikoto sighed and the moment Sasuke reached them, seeming to take his time walking over to them, she stepped forward and wiped the corners of his mouth, making him scowl at her. And for that split second that Sakura looked up, Sasuke looked like the child from Itachi's memories. He looked like the child who would pout and blush whenever Mikoto would baby him in front of others. Of course, now, Sasuke would never blush – none of them would – but the meaning was still there.

It was that thought that stopped Sakura from darting into the trees, from hunting. It calmed her down.

"Why don't you show Sakura–chan your katon jutsu, Sasuke?"

He looked down at his mother silently for a moment before glancing over at Sakura and nodding once.

"Not as large as you usually do them, please, Sasuke. I don't want to have to put out another fire."

This time, Sasuke smirked. And Sakura noticed that he actually looked rather handsome when he wasn't scowling. It was a mischievous looking smirk that wasn't seen by Mikoto, although she somehow seemed to know it was there as she smiled and shook her head. Perhaps this was why the clan refused to give up on Sasuke? Despite the fact that he was obsessed with revenge, that he wasn't as perfect at controlling his thirst, that all he did all day was hunt and train, he was still their family. Deep down, Sasuke was still the little boy from Itachi's memories. The thought made Sakura smile softly.

"_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"_

Her smile dropped.

She had only just been able to make out the hand seals that Sasuke went through. She had only vaguely been able to register him leaning back and breathing in deeply before raising his hands to his lips and breathing out.

But there was not a chance in hell that she would miss something like _that_.

Sasuke was… He was _breathing fire_! There was a large freaking ball of fire _right in front of her_!

Sakura's eyes were wide as they snapped to Mikoto's, but the woman was staring at the fireball with proud eyes, was watching her son with proud eyes. And as Sasuke finally stopped with the fire, as he straightened up and tilted his head to the side, looking at her arrogantly, Sakura could only stare.

"Sasuke…" she whispered before speaking much louder. "What the _hell_ was that?"

A single chuckle was all he replied with.

"Chakra, Sakura–chan." Mikoto told her when it was obvious Sasuke wouldn't say any more. Oh her son was such a show off! "With a great amount of it as well as perfect control, you can do almost anything."

"C–Can I do that?"

"It will take some time and a lot of training." she answered honestly. "Although, considering how fast you picked up on summoning your chakra and sending it to different parts of your body, you may learn it just as quickly as Sasuke did."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, not particularly enjoying being compared to a pink haired girl. "Fire may not be Sakura's natural element, mother." he stated flatly.

"Natural element?" Sakura repeated, looking between them both. "You mean like, fire, water, earth and wind?"

"There is also lightning." he added.

"How many can you all use?"

"I can use lightning and fire."

"And I can use water and fire." Mikoto replied. "Fire came naturally, as it seemed to have done with other Uchiha, but I had to work hard on water. With the sharingan, it is easy to copy jutsu." there was a brief pause. "Itachi can use most of the five elements. Fugaku is skilled with fire and wind and Shisui can use fire, wind and earth. I believe he is currently working on water."

Sakura frowned for a moment. "Itachi–san can use almost all of the five elements?" they nodded, but Sasuke's looked rather reluctant. "How is that possible?"

There was a moment of pause as Mikoto discreetly glanced at Sasuke from the corner of her eyes, knowing that he didn't particularly like the fact that Itachi was more skilled than he was. However, some things just couldn't be helped. "You see, Sakura–chan, whilst we work hard on learning all of our jutsu, it comes naturally to Itachi. He is considered a prodigy amongst vampires, a genius. It does not mean that we are any weaker and it also doesn't mean that Itachi doesn't have to work on his skills, it simply means that we have to work harder."

Her last words were aimed more at Sasuke than Sakura.

"How do I know if I can use the natural elements?"

Telling both her and Sasuke "one second", Mikoto ran into the house. Her speed was definitely no match for Itachi's. If Sakura was completely honest, she would say that Mikoto could run just about the same speed as her. Though, since she hadn't seen Shisui, Fugaku and Sasuke run at full speed, she couldn't really compare much. Sure, Sasuke had fled from the room yesterday, but that was pretty much disappearing from in front of her. How fast could he run alongside of her?

Before either of them could say anything to each other (although Sakura seriously doubted that Sasuke would even say anything to her since he was simply standing there looking bored), Mikoto returned with five pieces of paper. They weren't all that large – about the size of a card in a game of poker. On the cards were different kanji. Altogether, there were fire, water, wind, earth and lightning.

"For now, we will work on one. It is much more complicated learning how to use more than one, especially since you do not have the sharingan." Mikoto told her as she handed Sakura a piece of paper. "Focus your chakra into the paper." Sakura did so but frowned as nothing happened. "You are not a fire user." she told Sakura, taking the paper from her hands. Focusing her own chakra through the paper, the pink haired girl gasped as it was set on fire, the flames and ashes quickly being blown away into the wind. "That is what happens if you are a fire type. Now, try this one."

Once again, Sakura frowned as she found that she was not a water type. Nor was she an earth or lightning type.

She was, however, a wind type.

Between her fingers, the paper split, making her grin. "Hey, I'm a wind user!"

"Wind is a great combination to fire." Mikoto smirked, ignoring how Sasuke rolled his eyes at her as well as Sakura's excitement. "If you combine your wind say with, Itachi's fire, it would cause his fire to grow and become much more fierce and powerful."

Sakura's grin faltered for a second as her eyes slid from the piece of paper and up to Mikoto. Then, her eyes narrowed almost playfully. "Mikoto–san, are you trying to set me up with your son?"

Sasuke actually _tensed_.

However, Mikoto merely chuckled. "Not at all, Sakura–chan. I was simply stating that together, you could both be an unstoppable force, one to be reckoned with."

Considering that Itachi was labelled as a genius and prodigy, Sakura seriously doubted that. Instead of voicing her doubt, however, she smiled. "Well, we will just have to see what happens."

If it was possible, Mikoto's smile brightened. "Indeed we will."

By now, since it was around five in the afternoon, Mikoto had to go and change to meet with Fugaku. Apparently, despite only being an ordinary–ranking policeman, he still had to keep up appearances. And what screamed "I'm totally normal and a family man" more than having a beautiful wife by your side? Well, that and the fact that his eldest son and nephew also worked there.

So, Sakura was left alone with Sasuke.

Oh the joys.

Forcing herself to be polite, she smiled at him, but he merely blinked in response. Sakura had to refrain from groaning with annoyance. Couldn't Sasuke at least try to be nice? Could he not at least attempt at getting to know her? If not for her, then why not for his family? All except Fugaku and Sasuke were being kind to her. Well, it wasn't that those two were being unkind, it was just that… Well, they seemed so aloof and cold. They both seemed so unapproachable.

"Spar with me."

It wasn't a question or a request. So, for a moment, all Sakura could do was stare up at Sasuke in surprise. That surprise turned into full blown shock as he barely even gave her time to react as he dropped to the ground and his leg lashed out, almost catching her own legs and knocking her flat on her back! Growling, Sakura took advantage of his crouched position as her foot whipped through the air, aiming straight for his head, but Sasuke dodged it effortlessly.

Jumping back, Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that any way to treat a lady?"

Sasuke smirked. "You're not a lady. You're a child."

Sakura snarled and ran forward, her fist raising and swinging forward, but instead of hitting Sasuke, she hit nothing more than thin air.

"I'm not a child!" she yelled, spinning around and throwing another punch. But again, Sasuke dodged it. "And besides, you look even younger than I do!"

"We look the same age." Sasuke muttered, catching Sakura's leg and throwing her through the air. It was by sheer luck that she managed to catch herself by digging her hands and feet into the ground after landing, stopping herself from colliding with the house. "I may look the same age as you but I am, in fact, older. Much older."

Not enjoying the fact that Sasuke seemed bored with the fight and conversation, Sakura shot forward and threw punch after punch, changing it up every now and then by also throwing a couple of kicks into her attack. Sasuke was on the defensive, blocking and dodging blows easily.

"You can tell you're older than I am." Sakura huffed. "You're a bitter old man!"

For a split second, rage flashed through Sasuke's eyes but before Sakura could even regret what she had said, his foot was slamming into her stomach and the world around her was passing by quickly before she came to an abrupt stop, a pained yelp ripping from her as she smashed into a tree. It only vaguely registered in her mind how it snapped in half due to the collision, falling backwards. It didn't fall to the ground completely, however. No, the other tress caught it first. Nothing caught her. Instead, she fell to the ground, grunting with a mixture of pain and shock.

"What the hell would _you _know?" Sasuke spat, appearing before her and picking Sakura up from the ground roughly. "You haven't been around as long as the rest of us have. You haven't seen the things we have." her mouth opened, about to argue, but Sasuke cut her off with a vicious growl. "I don't care if you have seen Itachi's memories. I don't care that the others can hide the horrors that they have seen better than I can." as he spoke, he once again launched Sakura through the air.

This time, however, he gave her the chance to prepare herself for his next attack. Sakura winced as she tried to block his blows with her arms and legs, using every little bit of the self–defence she had been taught, but it did little against Sasuke. It didn't even seem like he was aware of how rough he was being, of how he had taken their simple spar to the next level. It was more like a real fight now.

"What happened to you?" Sakura grunted as she flipped backwards, just about dodging a punch that would have no doubt broken her nose. Or, was that even possible now? Could vampires break their bones or bleed?

"What happened to me?" Sasuke repeatedly coldly, his strength increasing once again. "What happened to me was that I had to sit back and watch as the rest of my family died! I had to sit back and watch as my friends died! All I could do, all _any of us_ could do was watch as the foolish humans in this pathetic world destroyed our planet and slaughtered each other with their wars. Even to this day, they're still destroying it and each other!"

It occurred to her there and then that Sasuke had every right to be the way he was right now.

It also occurred to her that he was most likely going to kill her if she couldn't get at least one decent hit in, if she couldn't get him to pause for just a moment and realise what he was doing. Sakura wasn't sure if she'd be able to, though. By now, Sasuke's sharingan was activated and spinning wildly and Sakura was too afraid to look into his eyes. She could trust Itachi's sharingan – sort of. He wouldn't kill her with it and the things he had shown her had only been memories. What would Sasuke show her? What if he showed her the horrors he had been forced to see? She didn't want to see them.

Clenching her fist tightly, Sakura flooded her arm with chakra, hoping that it would boost her strength even if it was only by the smallest amount.

"_Sasuke, stop_!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as he not only heard his mother and Shisui screaming at him, as he sensed the others of his clan returning, but also as he picked up on the power in Sakura's punch.

She couldn't control it.

He quickly jumped back and as Sakura's fist connected with the ground instead of his face, they were all stunned and shaken up as it erupted around them, as it split apart and shook violently. If it wasn't for Itachi shooting forward and grabbing her after she threw the punch, Sakura would have fallen through the cracks in the ground, would have fallen who knows how deep into the earth. It missed the house by a mere couple of feet and even from their place at the edge of the clearing, the others still had to move back to avoid being caught.

And after, as the dust settled and the area surrounding them stopped shaking, they could all only stare with wide eyes at the damage created. Even Sasuke and Fugaku were unable to hide their shock!

"Sakura–san." Itachi spoke as he lowered her to the ground, grabbing her chin and forcing her eyes to meet his. Like the others, his sharingan was activated so that he could dodge the ground as it had been erupting and splitting. However, as he noticed Sakura's eyes flash with fear for a second, he immediately released it and allowed his usual, dark coloured eyes to return. They seemed to relax her. "Where did you learn how to use strength such as that?"

"I–I didn't!" Sakura told him honestly, her eyes wide and her hands shaking ever so slightly. "I just… I just couldn't think of any other way to make Sasuke stop! I should have thought before I said anything, but I just got… I got so angry with being called a child, with him acting so much better than me." her eyes moved over to Mikoto. "Mikoto–san, I am so sorry for destroying your home!"

The woman was clearly still in shock, but managed to shake her head. "Don't worry, Sakura–chan. Shisui or Itachi can fix this with their earth style."

But Sakura was still feeling guilty. If her fist had connected with Sasuke's face like she had planned on it doing, what could have happened to him? Could vampires die? Would his head have exploded like the ground did? Oh God. Just the thought made Sakura feel sick.

Seeing that she was still scared, Itachi reached out to take her hand, only for Sakura to snap it away from his, for her to very carefully keep them straight and not fisted. Her fists were dangerous. She was dangerous. The last thing Sakura wanted was to harm the man who had saved her life, who had been nothing but kind and understanding since she had woken up.

"Come." Itachi straightened up and walked away from her, toward the forest. "We will hunt whilst Shisui fixes the clearing."

Sakura could only follow numbly, her eyes still wide and her hands still shaking.

When he was certain that they were alone and out of hearing distance, Itachi turned towards Sakura and once again forced her to look him in the eye. "You do not need to be afraid, Sakura–san." he told her gently, but there was a serious tone to his voice, one that seemed as though it was almost ordering her to understand him. "Sasuke should not have pushed you the way he did. He should know better than to force–"

"But I pushed him, Itachi–san!" she argued. "I was the one who started it!"

Itachi looked at her blankly. "Was it you or Sasuke who attacked first?"

"W–Well… It was Sasuke! But he told me that he wanted to spar."

"And who was it who grew much more violent and angry, who changed a mere sparring match to a real fight?"

"I got angry first." Sakura told him truthfully. "A–And more violent… But… I guess it was Sasuke who took things too far first."

She had no idea how lucky she was that he didn't start using his jutsu against her. Just a simple fire attack would have ended her existence if it had enveloped her fully.

Realising this, Itachi took her hand, ignoring how she tensed, how she tried to yank her hand away from him. Instead, he held on tighter and guided, _dragged her_, through the forest and to the lake Sakura enjoyed sitting by. And as she realised where they were going, as she realised that Itachi was not going to let go of her, Sakura relaxed ever so slightly, her eyes never leaving the back of his head for a single second until they came to a stop and he sat down by the lake. By his side, she also sat down.

"There are still things that I have not had the chance to tell you." Itachi said seriously, yet at the same time, his voice was emotionless and his face was no different. "You may not know this, but there _are_ ways to kill a vampire. The first is to behead one of our kind. Doing so will stop them from being able to attack. In fact, it is like being paralysed until somebody manages to put you back together or you regenerate. It does not matter how long your head is without a body. You will not die. You will simply be… unconscious." he paused for a moment, glancing down at the girl beside him as she looked up with wide, apple green eyes. "To destroy the body belonging to one of our kind, you must set it on fire. This will stop the vampire from being brought back or put back together again. However, you must get every part of them. If you miss even an inch of the body, your efforts will be wasted and the body would simply be regenerated. It would take some time depending on how bad the damage is, but it can be done.

"Also," once again, Itachi paused as he sighed, "it does not matter about dismembering the body because if somebody manages to set you on fire completely, you are done for. There is no coming back and there is no regeneration. All that will be left of you, are your ashes."

Sasuke's fireball jutsu instantly filled Sakura's mind and, if it was even possible, her blood ran cold. He could have killed her within a split second during their 'sparring' session, though Sasuke had obviously been holding back. That or he had been way too angry to even think straight. Sakura was hoping it was the former, as the latter made her rather uncomfortable.

"Sakura–san," she looked up at him instantly, "it is important that, if you spar with Sasuke, you must have either myself or Shisui standing by. My father is still not sure of you, so there is no telling whether or not he would help if Sasuke gets out of control. There are moments when his rage is far too great for Sasuke to handle alone. When that happens, we use our sharingan to restrain him. However, lately, Sasuke has grown much more powerful than our parents – which is why my mother cannot watch over you both if you spar. Her being a water–type helps, but only by so much. She can extinguish Sasuke's fire, but there is still a great risk."

Her hands were still shaking ever so slightly, but Sakura was slowly calming herself down. It seemed that even though she was technically dead, adrenaline could still pump through her veins. That particular thought brought another to mind. "Can we bleed?"

For a moment, there was silence as Itachi watched Sakura. And, unfortunately for him, his mind went through every possibility of which way she meant 'can we bleed'. That was most definitely not a conversation he wanted to have. Not because he was afraid of menstrual cycles like certain foolish human males, but because it just wasn't a conversation he wished to have with the girl, woman, he had saved. It was more of a conversation she should probably have with his mother. However, those thoughts only lasted for a split second as Itachi realised instantly what kind of bleeding she meant.

"Bones can be broken," Itachi replied, "as can our skin, but no, we do not bleed. Our blood is frozen within our veins, just like our hearts. No matter how alike we are to humans, Sakura–san, you must remember that we are no longer human. We are classed as the living dead. We are vampires."

Nodding, Sakura looked out across the lake, her eyes squinting for a moment as she thought about what Itachi just said, as his words replayed themselves in her mind. "What about werewolves? And zombies? Mummies? Witches? Are any of those true?"

"Most of them are, yes." he answered smoothly as he watched the sun dance down on the lake as it began to set.

It was around eight in the evening now and they were nearing autumn. Already leaves had started to fall from the trees, though because there were hundreds, possibly thousands of trees, it took a lot longer for them all to fall and most got caught on branches until the wind picked up. In only a few months' time, the ground they were currently sitting upon would be covered in dead, dried up leaves and not too much longer after that, those leaves would be covered by frost and eventually snow.

"We have not encountered any zombies or mummies, but we _have_ encountered a witch and werewolf before." not for the first time that evening, Itachi gave her a serious look. "It is best not to go looking for them. Werewolves are highly unpredictable and their speed rivals our own. I'm sure that I do not need to warn you about witches being able to cast spells and conjure potions." she shook her head. "Some witches can even ensnare the mind and take complete control of it, however that depends on how powerful the witch is. Some can only read minds."

"_Only_." Sakura repeated dryly. Glancing up at him, her eyebrows furrowed for a moment. "Has that ever happened to you, Itachi–san?"

"No. Not to me." he paused for a moment, almost seeming as though he would not continue on with their conversation, but after a moment, he did so. "My clan and I heard a lot of the things Sasuke told you, but that is not the whole story. Yes, war affected us all, but it never had such a great effect on Sasuke until we had a run in with a powerful witch not too long ago." again, there was a pause as Itachi seemed to go back in time, as he thought over his next words carefully. "A witch had confronted our clan, though at the time, there had only been Sasuke present. The rest of us were out on a hunt or running the perimeter, to make sure that none of our own kind or others had been tracking us to our new location."

Itachi looked blankly out at the lake, but Sakura could feel the emotions through their bond. There was a mixture of them and they were all cluttered up together. One of them stood out the most, however, and that was guilt. "Sasuke never went into detail about what happened, but when we returned, his mind was fragile and whatever the witch had cast upon him had disturbed him greatly. Since then, he has been tracking the witch."

A shaking hand pressed to her mouth as she herself felt great guilt. "That's why… That's why Sasuke focuses so much on revenge!"

"It is."

Shifting onto her knees and inching closer, Sakura hesitantly moved her hand from her mouth and over to Itachi's face. In response, Itachi's eyes slid over to hers as he focused completely on the uncertainty he could see in them, the flicker of fear she felt. It wasn't fear of touching him, however. It was the fear of rejection. He didn't move. And finally, she cupped his cheek gently, a small smile playing along her lips.

"Please don't feel bad, Itachi–san." Sakura whispered softly to him. "Even from the small amount of time I've spent with him, I know already that Sasuke cares for you. You're his big brother! Sure, he may be a little jealous of your power, but he could never truly hate you. Even I know that and I don't even know him!" when silence met her, Sakura looked up at him. "Have you trained with him recently?" Itachi shook his head. "Maybe you should train with Sasuke and give him tips on how to increase his strength, on how to focus on keeping his mind controlled. I can't even begin to imagine how he must feel." once again, there was silence, but she could feel through their bond that Itachi was considering her idea. "Think about it this way. Sasuke trusts you and if he gets out of control, you can stop him with your sharingan. Your parents won't be able to do that for him and I don't know how much Sasuke trusts Shisui."

Her hand slipped from his face, but just as it was about to drop to her side as Sakura folded her legs beneath her, Itachi caught it. There were no words. They simply sat there together and watched the sunset before dashing off into the trees so that they could hunt. Itachi wasn't all that thirsty, but he knew that Sakura was. He could tell just by the faintest of twitches at the corner of her lips and throat. Her throat was burning.

Not even an hour after leaving the lake, they managed to hunt until Sakura was well sated and, so that she could begin to hunt by herself for when he wasn't around, Itachi allowed her to get rid of all the evidence. There was some practise needed, but he knew that she would soon be just as capable of clearing the area as well as the rest of them.

Also, by the time they returned, the clearing looked just as it had before Sakura destroyed it and she couldn't even deny that it made her so happy to see it looking the way it once had.

* * *

Later that night, as they were laying comfortably on her bed together with soft music playing in the background, Sakura frowned. "You said that you and your clan had to go through wars. But… Does that mean you fought in them, too?"

Itachi shook his head. "No. We chose not to take sides."

It was why it had been so hard on them all. As the humans fought against each other, as they slaughtered one another, all they had been able to do was… _nothing_. There had been no stopping them, especially not with the leaders that had been in charge at the time. Hungry and greedy warmongers. They had desired more power, more riches and to get those things, they had sent their men out to fight pointless wars. Sometimes, Itachi wondered just who the monsters really were.

"Weren't you all worried about humans suddenly becoming extinct?" her frown deepened. "What if they had all killed each other and you starved?"

"That had been the last thing on our minds at the time." he answered her truthfully. "You are still young, so you have not lived through a war and hopefully you never will. Yes, you may have learned about them, but you have not truly experienced the horrors." that haunted look was back in Itachi's eyes, the look that told Sakura of how many of the horrors he was currently talking about, he had experienced. "The hatred, the violence… Even from humans, who are nowhere near as powerful as we are, it was suffocating. They were vicious and brutal, torturing information out of their enemies or simply doing it for the rush it gave them. We are aware of the fact that some soldiers fought to protect their loved ones, but _why _are they fighting? Why must those who start the wars, insist on such carnage? It was for their own selfish gain and the soldiers in the war were nothing more than pawns to them. They were and are sacrificial pieces to their games."

If she could have been, Sakura would be in tears right at that moment in time. She had never heard somebody speaking so passionately about something they cared about before – and his words were so true. It was then that she learned that Itachi, despite being what he was, was a pacifist. Had witnessing wars made him that way? With the feelings that were currently whirling within him, Sakura was willing to bet that it was.

"In the end, whilst those who started the wars and won them, sit comfortably in their homes, those who actually fought in the wars are buried six feet underground. Whilst the 'leader' who won bathes in his riches, the families of those soldiers grieve for their losses. War does not change anything. It simply causes more hatred."

Sakura rested her head on Itachi's chest, her hand resting near her eyes as she closed them. "I hope that, one day, there will be no more hatred. I know it seems impossible for everyone to get on without a problem, but I just hope that they can."

She wasn't the only one.

Itachi also hoped that Sakura would never have to live through a war. She was far too innocent and kind. He didn't want her to be tainted like the rest of them were.

"Sleep." he murmured to her as Itachi felt her breathing slow. "I will be here when you wake."

"No work tomorrow?"

"No."

Sakura gave him a lazy smile, breathing deeply before releasing it. "Good. I like hanging out with you."

And just like that, she was asleep.

And Itachi wasn't even aware of the small smile pulling at the corners of his lips.


	6. We're Friends

**Chapter 5 – We're Friends**

Before Sakura even realised it, a month went by.

Like she had promised her father, she called him once (sometimes up to three times depending on how much she missed him) a week. Shisui had somehow set up a phone that, if it was tracked, would say that she was in another country. She wasn't all that sure on how it worked, but it was somewhat simple to use. During those phone calls, Sakura also spoke with her mother. The first time they spoke had been heartbreaking for Sakura. Her mother had apologized over and over again, telling her that she loved her. Other times, Sakura would make up stories about volunteering at foreign hospitals, telling them many made up stories about helping young children. It made her feel sick lying to them, but there was no other way.

Also, Sakura could now hunt by herself. She simply preferred having company. Whilst Itachi was at work, she would hunt with Mikoto and she had also hunted several times with Shisui or Sasuke. The latter was pretty much silent during the time they spent together, but Sakura could tell that he wasn't opposed to it. If he didn't want to hunt with her, she was certain it would take little to no effort for him to leave her by herself. He even settled on hunting animals instead of humans whilst with her, though Sakura had been able to tell by the grimace on his face that he didn't like it.

She sparred a lot now. At first, she had been unsure about throwing punches, about actually hitting the others. So, before Sakura had even dared to try sparring with Mikoto, she had sparred a few times with Itachi and Shisui because of the difference in their speed. Not at the same time, of course, because… Just damn. They were so fast! And powerful! Mikoto had failed to warn her that Shisui was also classed as a genius. Once certain that she wouldn't kill anyone (or destroy their bodies), Sakura had then asked Mikoto to spar with her. The woman had agreed wholeheartedly and since then, they trained together once a day for a couple of hours. Also, due to her being a wind type, Itachi and Shisui had both been working with her on her jutsu. It wasn't perfect, as they said she needed a lot more practice, but it was slowly, painfully slowly, getting there.

Yesterday, Sakura had sparred with Sasuke (with Shisui watching over them, like she had promised Itachi). Her uncertainty at sparring with the others was nothing compared to the uncertainty she felt whilst sparring with Sasuke. She had tried her best to view him as though he was just like the others, but there was always a flash in his eyes that told you, _screamed at you_, that he wasn't like them. Sasuke would never be like them. When they sparred, he never used his jutsu against her and she didn't use hers against him (mostly because she didn't have any). However, he was somewhat teaching her how to control the amount of chakra that went into her fists, to give her a boost in strength in case she needed it. Apparently, the Uchiha clan knew of someone who did the exact same thing.

Sasuke really wasn't as bad as she had once thought. Sure, he was psychologically damaged, a little too obsessed with revenge and easily angered, but he was still that little boy from Itachi's memories. You just had to know where to look to find him.

The leaves were changing colour and falling now and due to how many there were, it was pretty much impossible to see the ground of the forest as she walked through the trees. Every step she took kicked the leaves up and despite her footsteps being much lighter, she still made noise unless Sakura was extremely careful about where she was stepping. It made hunting animals harder, but not impossible.

Sitting by the lake that she and Itachi always sat at, Sakura washed her hands in the lake. It was unusual that mountain lions appeared around this area of the forest, but it wasn't exactly unheard of. On more than one occasion, hikers had been attacked by them. The only reason Sakura knew that they weren't attacked by vampires was because the Uchiha clan only fed on criminals. Not only that, but they also got rid of any evidence left behind. The mountain lion had been a hell of a lot more feistier than the wolves or the deer. It was because of this that her hands and lips were covered in blood but luckily for her, none of it had spilled on her clothes.

There had been two of them and now that she was well sated, she wouldn't need to hunt for a few days. Her thirst wasn't as extreme as it had been when she first woke up and also, like the others, Sakura did not have to sleep every night. She was glad for that because she and Itachi now stayed up together, talking about themselves. Itachi never told her much and what he did tell her, was said rather cryptically, but Sakura liked to think that she was getting to know him better now. He knew pretty much everything about her. Her favourite colour, her birthday, her first pet… They spoke about everything and anything. Actually, Sakura was certain that the only other people who had known her so well before, had been her father and Ino. Now, one of her precious people was dead and the other could never be told about what she was. There were now secrets between Sakura and her father.

She had never kept secrets from him before and it felt so strange to be keeping them from him now. However, Mikoto had explained to her that telling him the truth could have dire consequences. For example, it could attract what the others called "hunters". Or, if they managed to capture her (which Sakura really doubted), she would be sent to an asylum and treated as mentally unstable. She'd eventually starve to death there since she refused to drink human blood.

Hunters. Sakura frowned softly as she slowed in her cleaning. Hunters were the enemy of her kind. Of any supernatural kind. Like their name told you, they hunted them and killed them. They were all dangerous and the skilled ones were absolutely lethal. Most of them could use jutsu. And no, hunters were not witches and they weren't any other kind of mythical creature. They were nothing more than humans. It was why the Uchiha clan kept to themselves, so that they didn't attract any unwanted attention. Their unnatural beauty made it a little harder for them to blend in, but they liked to think that they weren't attracting any attention other than that.

For the first couple of days after Sakura's 'accident', they had been on high alert for a while, taking watches to make sure that no hunter had heard or felt the quake (Mikoto had murmured something about a powerful vampire whose attacks had the same devastating effect, meaning the hunters would jump at the chance to capture and kill that woman). Fortunately for them, none had come by and Sakura was glad for that. The last thing she wanted to happen was for the clan who had taken her in, to be attacked because of her.

The sound of leaves crunching caused her to stiffen and warily smell the air. No animals. Whatever was watching her was a predator. A predator like herself.

She was on her feet and whirling around in an instant, falling into the fighting stance Itachi had taught her. It guarded each and every inch of her body.

"Come out." Sakura spoke loud enough for whoever it was to hear her. Her voice was stronger than she felt. "There's no use in hiding. You reek."

It wasn't an Uchiha. Whoever it was, was somebody she had never met before.

And then, causing her to take a wary step back (she was secretly grateful to Mikoto for teaching her how to walk on water using her chakra), four figures dropped from the trees.

They were vampires, that much was obvious. But what were they doing here? Couldn't they sense that this land had already been claimed by the Uchiha clan?

Her eyes moved over the four, first sticking to one of the blonds of the group who was slightly in front of the rest. His hair was more yellow than blond really and for a moment, his eyes reminded her of Ino, but Sakura quickly shoved that foolish thought away. Now was not the time to be getting sentimental. Behind the blond were three others. One female, two males.

"Come on," the blond male chuckled and scratched his head, "is saying we stink any way to greet us?"

"Why would I be greeting you?" Sakura narrowed her eyes and her fists clenched as the woman reached behind her, her hand gripping the large shape that was on her back. Even with her eyesight, Sakura couldn't tell what it was.

The woman was also blond, though her hair was a much dirtier shade than the man's and she had it up in four messy and wild ponytails. Her eyes were a teal colour and her skin seemed tanned but at the same time, it was also pale, if that made any sense. They were all dressed similarly, like they were planning on staying in the desert or somewhere equally as hot. No, they weren't wearing next to nothing, because only a fool would dress that way in the desert. They were wearing darker clothing that covered most of their bodies.

Stepping forward, the blond grinned. "We're not going to hurt you!"

"Naruto." one of the other males spoke, his deep and husky voice sending an involuntary shiver down Sakura's spine. "Clearly she is a newborn. Watch yourself. She will be fast and unpredictable."

The blond, now known as Naruto, merely waved him off. "Don't worry about me, Gaara!"

"Somebody has to." the third male grumbled.

Eyes falling to the redhead who Naruto had just called 'Gaara', Sakura frowned. He was clearly the leader of the group as his aura simply screamed it. He was superior and no doubt much stronger than her. In fact, Sakura was willing to bet that they were all much stronger than herself. But like he had just said, she was fast. Itachi and Shisui had been helping her with her speed.

Once again, Naruto stepped forward and raised his hands, but Sakura wasn't certain if it was in a friendly way or not. Itachi had warned her that others of their kind weren't always friendly and one or two of the guys in front of her reeked of death and blood. It was how she had known they were there in the first place other than the crunching of leaves. Considering the blood around the blond's mouth, Sakura was sure that they had been hunting when they caught scent of her. Damn it! Why hadn't she washed the blood from her hands and mouth quicker? Actually, why couldn't she have stuck to the usual deer?

"We saw you take down those mountain lions." the female spoke up, her hand holding tightly onto the metal item behind her. "You have potential. Do you belong to a clan already?"

There wasn't a chance in hell that she would be dragging the Uchiha clan into this mess. They had already done so much for her! "How long have you been following me?"

"A while." the redhead answered flatly.

And then she was running.

It had been an instinctual reaction to the woman pulling whatever the hell was on her back in front of her. But Sakura could already hear the others following her. She could hear them talking amongst each other and hearing a strange sound following their talking, Sakura forced her legs to move faster. She sent chakra to her feet, jumping from tree to tree and dodging whatever the hell was trying to capture her by diagonally vaulting from one tree trunk to another. It felt like she was spinning and twisting and running for hours before she finally broke through the trees.

But the moment she did, a wall of what appeared to be sand stopped her.

Like with the running, it was instinctual how her arm and fist flooded with chakra, how she was smashing her fist into the wall of sand and breaking her way through. Behind her, Sakura could hear the group gasping in shock, but she also felt the feeling of a challenge fill the air. Whoever could summon sand was getting excited. They liked the challenge she was giving to them.

Before things could go any further, however, two figures appeared in front of her, each standing by her side protectively.

"Uchiha." the redhead growled as he and his group skidded to a stop, his sand moving back to the gourd on his back. Sakura inwardly frowned. She hadn't spotted that earlier.

"Gaara." Sasuke greeted coldly, his sharingan activating.

Mikoto was the only one who didn't appear angered. In fact, she was as calm as ever. "Naruto–kun. It has been a while since we last saw you."

"Wait," Sakura frowned, her eyes going from the group in front of them and over to Mikoto, "you know these guys?"

"Only Naruto." Sasuke muttered. "The rest of them, we only know vaguely from a run in we had with them years back."

Instead of replying to them, the redhead continued to glare at Sasuke before his eyes slid over to Sakura, his icy blue eyes pinning her in her spot. "So you are a member of the Uchiha clan?"

"Yes." Mikoto replied for her. "Sakura–chan is with us."

Much to her surprise, Naruto seemed to be practically trembling with excitement. His blue eyes were shining brightly as he moved closer to them, his hands waving through the air as he spoke. "_Eh_? How the hell could somebody like Sasuke get a girl like her? It's impossible! He's all broody and up his own ass!" Naruto sighed dejectedly. "I was hoping that she would want to join us and be my–"

"She's not with me, idiot."

"She's not?" the woman repeated, looking over to the two men by her side before turning back to Sakura. "Who are you with? Shisui?"

"Who am I with?" The blonde woman nodded once. "I… I don't–"

"Itachi." Mikoto spoke up. "Sakura–chan is with Itachi."

Naruto fell to his knees and practically screamed into the sky, "_No_! Why him? Sakura–chan!" All Sakura could do was stare with wide eyes. Just what the hell was his problem? "Hey!" he jumped to his feet and shot forward, grabbing one of Sakura's hands in his own. "Run away with me! We can get married and travel the–"

And then her fist was slamming into his face, sending him flying back right over to the trees. "Idiot! I'm not leaving Itachi–san for _you_!"

Mikoto practically beamed, but did well to hide her grin from them all.

"S–Sakura… _chan_!"

"You don't even know me!"

"It's love at first sight!" the blond told her as he stood up and ran back over to them. "Don't tell me you don't feel the same way!"

The pink haired woman looked up at Sasuke desperately. "Please tell me he's messing with me!"

"It's hard to tell." he told her honestly, seeming just as stunned by Naruto's actions. His upper lip was curling slightly with disgust at how pitiful the blond was acting, but before he could say anything, Gaara spoke up.

"Naruto. Calm down."

And so he did. Well, with a sigh of defeat. "You can't deny that _you're _all jealous, too."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes dangerously at Naruto's words. "You want Sakura to join you?"

The blonde woman shrugged. "She's strong and has potential."

"Have you been training with Tsunade?"

Both Mikoto and Sasuke stiffened ever so slightly at Gaara's question to Sakura. All waited for Sakura's reply, but she simply frowned. "I don't know who Tsunade is."

"She is the one who changed us, Sakura–chan." Mikoto told her.

Her eyes widened. Itachi's memories! "The doctor!" They nodded. Then, Sakura sighed and turned to face the group, once again shaking her head. "I have never met Tsunade before. Why do you ask?"

"You have the same strength as her." the third male spoke up. "Temari noticed it at first when you took down those mountain lions. Sure, you're not _as strong as_ Tsunade, but with practice, you'll probably be just as strong as her. Like my sister said, you have potential. Well, that's if you can use medical jutsu."

"Medical jutsu?" Sakura's frowned deepened. "I don't… I don't know…"

"Sakura–chan has only been awake for a month." Mikoto said with a serious tone in her voice. "She has not had the opportunity yet to discover all of these things as we didn't want to overwhelm her. For now, we are simply working on the basic jutsu and taijutsu." Not giving them a chance to reply, she then went on to say, "State your purpose for being here. If it is to ask Sakura–chan to join you, then please leave. She is a member of our clan now, and we will not let her go without a fight."

And then three others were joining them.

Sakura's eyes widened as Shisui and Itachi dropped to each of her sides, causing Mikoto and Sasuke to take a step forward so that they wouldn't be too close together. Then, Fugaku appeared beside Mikoto, though slightly in front of her too, with his arms folded over his chest arrogantly like he was daring them to disobey his mate. It didn't go unnoticed by the others how Sakura immediately looked up at Itachi, how the panicked look in her eyes slowly started to fade as she realised he would let no harm come to her.

The blonde, Temari, placed the metal item in her hands onto her back once more at Gaara's unspoken order to do so. Also, Naruto straightened up, the playful look in his once excited eyes becoming serious. "We need help." Naruto spoke, ignoring the annoyed glare Temari sent to him. "That's why we came to you. Even if not all of you like these guys, I know that some of you will be willing to help _me_."

Sasuke's upper lip curled. "What makes you–"

"Sasuke." Fugaku silenced his son and looked back to Naruto. "Continue, Naruto."

Scratching his cheek, Naruto sighed. "I got split up from ero–sennin, Tsunade–baa–chan and Shizune–nee–chan. I don't know what the hell happened! One moment, we were all relaxing and drinking sake and then the next, baa–chan is dragging me out of there, screaming at me to _run_." his face suddenly became pained. "I believe that baa–chan and Shizune–nee–chan are alive, but… ero–sennin… I can't… I can't _feel _him, you know? I tracked their scents as far as I could before I met up with Gaara, Kankuro and Temari. They agreed to help me find them, but unless they've gone into hiding…"

"Was Tsunade–sama injured?" Shisui asked. "She's not dead, we can tell you that now. Our bond with her is still strong. She is weakened, but not dead. She must have used the seal on her forehead to protect civilians from being harmed or healing the ones who were injured."

The sigh of relief that left Naruto had Sakura biting her lip. He seemed so worried about them! "Thanks."

"As for Jiraiya–sama's connection with you," Shisui narrowed his eyes in concentration, "have you tried meditating and focusing on your bond with him?"

Noticing her confusion, Itachi murmured quietly to Sakura, "Jiraiya–sama was the one who changed Naruto–kun. Like between us, there is a bond between him and Jiraiya–sama."

"Wait!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, his eyes wide as he stared at Sakura and Itachi. "So you're _not _together? You're just bonded? Sakura–chan! Why didn't you tell me? We can still leave and get married–"

"_Shut up_!" she growled warningly. "I'm staying with Itachi–san and the Uchiha clan. He saved my life and they have been nothing but kind to me. They're my family now."

Naruto pouted. "Even Sasuke?"

Shrugging, Sakura glanced at Sasuke. He didn't look at her and instead kept his eyes locked on Gaara's. "He's not too bad. It was because of Sasuke that we discovered I could use that… strength you were talking about."

"Tsunade–baa–chan's strength!" Naruto grinned sheepishly. "You're not as scary as her, though."

Mikoto chuckled softly. "She won't appreciate you saying such things, Naruto–kun."

"Aw, baa–chan won't–"

"She's talking about Sakura–chan, Naruto–kun." Shisui smirked and wasn't the only one to notice the slight tick in Sakura's eyebrow. Apparently she didn't enjoy being called 'scary'. His smirk dropped as he turned back to the group. "What else do you need help with?"

His grin grew more sheepish. "Well, if you don't mind, we were wondering if we could crash here for a while. It's safe here, you know? And we've been travelling without sleep for like three weeks straight now and I feel like I'm about to faint!"

By the looks of the rings around Gaara's eyes, Sakura was inwardly thinking that he hadn't slept for much longer. Also, whilst vampires skin was already pale, his was the palest she had seen so far. In fact, he didn't look healthy at all. Gaara really did need to have a good night of sleep.

Smiling, Mikoto said, "We have plenty of room for you all."

"All we ask is that, if you hunt, you clean up after yourselves." Fugaku added sternly, his eyes narrowing a fraction. "We do not want hunters coming after us because of your carelessness."

Gaara's eyes slid from Sasuke's and over to Fugaku's as he nodded once. "Of course."

Sakura bit the inside of her lip. They were staying with them? What if Naruto continued to annoy her about joining them? She didn't want to leave the Uchiha clan. She didn't want to leave Itachi. This was her home now. This was where she belonged.

And to make that point clear to them all, as they turned away to head back to the house, Sakura grabbed Itachi's hand. He didn't question her or look down at her in confusion. Instead, he kept his eyes locked with Naruto's for a moment, silently warning him not to even dare attempt to steal Sakura from him. His warning was clear to the entire Sabaku clan and Naruto as the blond suddenly pouted and the others nodded once in understanding.

Sakura was not to be touched.

* * *

"You told me that others of our kind aren't friendly."

"I told you that not all of our kind are friendly. I did not mean every vampire was not."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura glanced up at him with a pout. "Well what was I supposed to think when I found out that they had been watching me? It wasn't until the wind picked up that I noticed them! Not to mention Temari–san kept reaching for that metal thing on her back!"

"That 'metal thing' on her back is a fan and they are all skilled, Sakura–san." Itachi told her smoothly. "They can hide their presence from others. You have not yet been taught how to sense for others of our kind, so you rely more on your sight, sense of smell and hearing."

"It was still embarrassing! I made such a fuss and it turned out that they're friends of your clan!"

"Only Naruto–kun is a friend of ours. We have only met with the Sabaku clan once and during that time, Gaara and Sasuke fought."

"They had a fight?" Sakura gasped, her eyes widening.

"It was a long time ago." he suddenly fell silent and his head turned slightly to the left. "Naruto–kun, it is not polite to listen in on others' conversations."

Chuckling reached Sakura's sensitive ears, making her scowl in the direction of the window. There was a ledge out there large enough for somebody to sit or stand on, but Sakura had no idea that somebody would actually sit there and listen to their conversation. It was rather unnerving thinking of somebody doing so. Yes, the others had sensitive hearing too, but they tuned out Itachi and Sakura to give them privacy. Sakura was still learning on how to master that particular skill.

And then the window was sliding open and somebody was slipping through the opening, making her eyes widen. Just who the hell did this Naruto think he was? Before she could scream at him to get out of her room, Itachi sighed and shook his head at her, silently telling her that it was best not to argue with Naruto. He wouldn't pay any attention to them.

Naruto paused for a moment as he looked down at Sakura and Itachi, blinking once in surprise. "Man," he grinned sheepishly, "it's kind of strange seeing you act like that, Itachi!"

The way he spoke to Itachi so informally… Sakura wasn't sure what to make of it. Clearly they knew one another and were… Were they friends?

"It's not strange!" Sakura huffed, her hold tightening on Itachi's hand.

Since leaving the group and going up to her bedroom, she hadn't let go of his hand once. Being able to sense so many powerful vampires in the house was unsettling to her. So, they sat up against the headboard of her bed, their hands entwined and resting against Sakura's thighs.

"It is!" Naruto exclaimed and sat down on the bottom of the bed, ignoring Sakura as she glared at him. She did _so _not give him permission to sit on her bed! Damn it. He was like the annoying little brother she never had or wanted! Although, considering how he had tried to get her to run away with him earlier… Sakura shuddered. "I've never seen Itachi acting like this before!"

Itachi sighed. "What do you want, Naruto–kun?"

The blond looked down at the space between them, a frown settling over his features. "It was Orochimaru who attacked us, Itachi."

"Orochimaru?" Sakura glanced up at Itachi's blank face as she felt the hidden anger within him sparking to life.

"He's a powerful witch." Naruto explained. "He used to be one of baa–chan's and ero–sennin's friends before they were changed and they used to be a team! But… I don't know. They said that there's always been a darkness in him and then one day, he just snapped. Made himself immortal or some crazy shit like that." scratching his head, he gave Itachi such a look that it made him seem so many years older. He looked so tired. "That's why I didn't say who it was earlier. I couldn't. Sasuke would've flipped."

A powerful witch.

And they couldn't say his name around Sasuke.

"The one who attacked Sasuke?" she kept her voice low so that there wasn't a chance of Sasuke overhearing them.

Naruto frowned over at her. "You know about that?"

"Not in detail." Itachi told him. "But Sakura–san knows enough."

"Right…" his frown deepened before he sighed. "Look, Sakura–chan, I'm sorry for acting the way I did earlier. Or if I came off as a bit… pushy and–"

He looked so sincere that it warmed her dead heart. Maybe Naruto wasn't as bad as she had once thought? "It's fine."

"You're not mad?" Sakura shook her head and when he gave her a grin, she had to hold back a groan. "Don't think that that means the offer doesn't stand, though! You can still run away with me. You know, break away from these guys and have fun!"

"I _do_ have fun." she grumbled in response, her hold tightening on Itachi's hand. "I want to stay with Itachi–san, Naruto. Not only because he saved me, but also because he's my friend. He is my family now."

Even though he appeared unaffected, there was a warm feeling coming from Itachi as the words left her lips and in response, a small smile played at the corner of her lips. It felt nice to be able to bring him such… happiness? Was that what Itachi was currently feeling? Whatever it was, it was nice to be able to make him feel that way.

"_O–Oi_! You two better not go having sex in front of me or something! Stop giving each other mushy looks! It's creepy."

And then just like that, the moment was shattered.

Releasing Itachi's hand for the first time in hours, Sakura stood up and walked over to where Naruto was now standing, waving his arms in the air like an idiot. Oh she was going to pummel him!

His eyes widened as Sakura grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and literally threw him back out of her window. Once she heard the satisfying thud followed by a groan that told her he had landed on the ground, Sakura leaned out of the window and looked down at him. Naruto was pouting, seeming utterly confused and was simply laying there on his back, looking up at her.

"What the hell…" he mumbled. "Did you just… _throw _me out of the _window_?"

"Say something like that again, you idiot, and I'll do worse than throw you out of a window!" Sakura yelled and as soon as she did, she slammed her window shut, the glass trembling for a couple of moments after she did.

"_B–But, Sakura–chan_!" Naruto whined from outside and she could hear him getting up, moving underneath her window. "_I was only kidding! Well, not the part about you and Itachi having sex in front of me, because that's weird! But you're not really creepy or scary! I promise."_

And just like that, all conversation and movement in the house stopped. The sound of Temari cleaning her fan, of Gaara placing down his gourd, of Kankuro working on his puppets _all stopped_. Not even a second later, both Sakura and Itachi could hear Mikoto talking to Shisui, though she was making an effort to keep her voice low so that they couldn't hear her. Sakura had a feeling Itachi could hear her since he rolled his eyes (which seemed very uncharacteristic of him to Sakura), but instead of telling her what was said, he merely shook his head.

"We were _not_ about to have sex!" Sakura shouted right back, knowing that Naruto could hear her.

"_I'm sorry, Sakura–chan! Don't be mad at me!"_

"_Shut up, dobe._" a threatening voice spat and Sakura knew instantly that it was Sasuke. "_Nobody wants to hear about what they're doing up there!"_

"_Yes, Naruto–kun_." this time, it was Mikoto who was speaking but her voice was softer and much more calm. "_Besides, I know that they have not done anything like that_."

"_Yet._"a voice chuckled and though she wasn't too sure, Sakura could have sworn that it was Kankuro. "_They haven't done anything like that _yet_._"

The frown in Naruto's voice was obvious. "_Why not?" _and then, he sounded a little, _very_, angry. "_Uchiha Itachi! You better not think you're better than my Sakura–chan!"_

Itachi sighed but said nothing in return.

"_Naruto, shut up_!" Sasuke once again spat. "_You don't know anything about Sakura, so how can she be yours? You have no right to claim her!"_

"_And what is there to know?"_ this voice had her eyes widening. It was Gaara's voice.

"_She was r–"_

"_Don't you dare continue with that sentence, Uchiha Sasuke_!" It seemed even Itachi was surprised when he heard his mother _yelling_ at Sasuke. "_Sakura–chan wouldn't appreciate it in the least!"_

This time, it was Sasuke who sighed.

Sakura tensed ever so slightly as it seemed to go deathly silent.

And it was then she realised that, with just a couple of short sentences, everyone knew part of her story now.

"Come, Sakura." Itachi told her as he stood up and opened her window once more. "We will go and sit by the lake for a while."

She nodded gratefully and followed him as he leaped out of her window. They both ignored Naruto as he stared at her, guilt and shock so clear on his face as he watched them run into the trees, as he watched them disappear into the darkness. Even Sasuke seemed to be feeling a little guilty as he stood a couple of feet away from the blond.

"You shouldn't have said anything." Naruto muttered, now looking down at his feet.

"Me?" Sasuke scoffed as he turned to the opposite side of the forest and headed over to the trees. "It was you who started it by screaming that they were having sex."

Naruto frowned as he regarded Sasuke's back for a few moments, the Uchiha emblem catching his attention immediately. He never truly understood why Sasuke continued to wear his clan's emblem. Sure, it told others just who he was, but didn't it also make him a target? What if hunters found him? All other members of the Uchiha clan were wiped out! They were all dead except for the five nearby.

"Oi, Sasuke!" he called after the Uchiha. "Where are you going?"

Sasuke didn't pause for a moment. "I have something I need to do."

With that, he disappeared.

"He's been hanging around Konoha for a couple of weeks now." Shisui narrowed his eyes and Naruto blinked in surprise when he suddenly appeared beside him. "He doesn't do anything. Simply watches and investigates."

The blond's frown deepened. "Investigates? Do you think he has a lead on Orochimaru?"

Shisui shook his head, his sharingan deactivating as he walked back over to the house. "I don't know."

But whatever he was doing in Konoha, he was serious about it. The fact that he was being extremely cautious and covering his tracks to such a great extent, told Shisui that.

* * *

"I'm not upset about your clan knowing, since they already knew and I… I feel safe here." Sakura told Itachi, her eyes glued on the ground. "It's just that… I don't even know these people and now they know something about me that is extremely personal and private." Itachi was leaning back against a tree and held her as she spoke. "I know that I didn't know any of you when I was first changed, but I think of you all as family now. You saved me. Shisui–san is doing everything he possibly can to stop my parents from having to suffer or find out about what I am now. Your mom and Sasuke both came to protect me earlier today when I was trying to outrun the sand." Sakura turned her head slightly and rested it on his chest, closing her eyes. "I like you and your clan. Even your dad even though he's been nothing but negative towards me."

His lips twitched into a slightly bitter smile. "Do not take it personally. My father has always been that way. It is just who he is. However, even though he comes off as cold and hard to please, he is not always that way."

"I know." she gave a soft smile as she leaned in closer to Itachi, breathing in his scent. It was a mixture of different smells. Fire, an earthy smell that reminded her of the forest and something so very masculine. Like his presence, it calmed her. Perhaps it was simply Itachi who could do such a thing? Yes, there were moments when he could terrify her, but that was only when his sharingan was activated and he was threatening somebody – and that had only happened once, when he was warning Sasuke to back off! "I've seen your memories, remember?"

In response, Itachi nodded once. "You should not feel ashamed about what happened to you, Sakura–san." his voice was nothing but a murmur and Sakura tried her best to hold back the shiver that ran up her spine as he brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "It was not your fault. The world is full of monsters, but not all of them are of the supernatural kind that people naturally fear. Some of the most sadistic monsters, are humans."

He was so right that it _hurt_. "It's been easy pushing what happened from my mind, especially with all the training. But…" At her 'but', Itachi glanced down at her, not liking the fear that was drifting through their bond. "But I'm scared that when I'm alone, when there is nothing left to think about, it's all going to come crashing down on me all at once." Pulling back ever so slightly, Sakura opened her eyes and looked up at him. "And I know you've felt it, too. Through our bond, I mean. That… That darkness. Sometimes, I get so angry, I feel so murderous, that it actually hurts. It pains me that I can't do anything!"

If it was even possible, Itachi's hold became more comforting. "Do not dwell on such things, Sakura–san. You will never be alone and if those feelings _do _try to take over you, I will be there to help you."

The look she gave him made Itachi feel pained. She looked utterly helpless and he did not like the look _at all_. "Do you promise?"

Sakura's eyes widened as Itachi pressed his lips to her forehead. "I promise, hime."

* * *

It had been an instinctual move to kiss her forehead, to brush his lips across her skin. And as for the 'hime' comment…

It was definitely not a name he'd ever thought he'd use for somebody. But somehow, it fit.

Itachi sighed as he looked up at the dark sky. The stars were out tonight. Unknown to humans, they were always 'out'. They were simply hiding behind clouds and pollution. That was yet another thing that pained the Uchiha clan. Yes, there were benefits to technology and other things such as that, but the world had once been so beautiful and natural, there had been no pollution, but now? Now their planet was being destroyed.

Glancing down at the woman sleeping in his arms, he felt _that feeling_ again.

If somebody asked Itachi to explain the feelings he was experiencing at that moment in time, since the very first moment he caught a whiff of Sakura's scent, he would be unable to answer. He, the Uchiha genius, would not be able to come up with a single word to explain how he felt. It was simply… different. _He _had been different the second he picked up on her scent and with each passing day, each passing moment, the connection between them was growing stronger.

She opened up to him and trusted him completely. Despite the awful, unforgivable things that had happened to Sakura, she let him in. She told him things about her past, told him about her previous life, and even though she claimed that many of the things she told him were dull, Itachi didn't think they were at all. They told him who she was as a person. They allowed him to see the woman she was inside. Sakura was passionate, she was fierce and protective of those she cared for. There was a determination within her, there was an innocence.

To him, she was a one–of–a–kind type of creature.

It was so rare to find innocence such as hers. It was so rare to find somebody like_ her_.

In all his years, Itachi had never felt this way about anyone before.

It was unsettling.

His father had warned him the second Itachi arrived home, covered in blood with a badly broken Sakura in his arms about getting too attached, but already, he had been in too deep. Itachi hadn't even needed to lay eyes upon the woman for him to be caught under her spell. Although, the moment their eyes locked and her stunningly green eyes begged him to help her… Well, they had sealed his fate.

How could he allow for such an innocent creature to die in such a horrific way? To put it simply, he couldn't. Itachi gave a small smirk as he brushed the hair away from her eyes. His mother had always told him that he was a stubborn person, but to refuse to allow death to take this woman from him? There were no words for how badly Itachi had insulted death. First, despite being on death's door, Itachi had been somewhat brought back to full health (albeit, unnaturally). Then, to add insult to the injury, he had then snatched Sakura away from that very same doorstep in the very same way.

It did not matter to him. He would protect Sakura with his life.

"You are my life now," he murmured almost silently to a sleeping Sakura as he closed his eyes and rested his head back against the tree, "hime."

And it was the truth.

If somebody dared to try and steal her from him…

They would have to kill him first.

And that would be no easy task.

* * *

He watched her like he always did. He watched the grace that showed in each of her movements. He watched as she smiled and joked lightly with his mother. He watched as she teased Sasuke (surprising them all when Sasuke didn't attack her or snap at her for such a thing). He watched as she 'played nice' – as she had once called it – with his father. He watched as she smiled and spoke with Shisui like they were old friends.

Sakura didn't know it, but his clan had accepted her. Even his father and Sasuke. They knew how much Sakura meant to him despite it all happening so quickly. They knew that she was his life. She was a member of their clan now.

And then, _that feeling_ returned as she turned to him, as her eyes lit up in a warm, tender smile as they connected with his. Sakura always smiled around him, though he knew she wasn't always aware of it. The smile wouldn't always be on her lips, but it was in her eyes. Around him, her smiles were nothing but genuine. She really was happy with him. And that made him happy. He and Sakura were connected. They could feel each other's emotions as though they were their own.

No, he did not only see Sakura in a romantic way. He would be whatever she needed him to be. A friend, a confider, a protector or a lover. Whatever she wanted, whatever she needed, he would give without complaint. If she simply wanted to carry on as they currently were, then he would gladly do so. Strangely enough, Itachi did not mind being Sakura's _anything_.

The feeling had worried him at first and had made him uneasy, but now, he was growing accustomed to it. After all, it wasn't a terrible feeling if he was being completely honest. It was nice. It was comforting and warm and made him feel things he had never thought possible. She made his dead heart want to restart. She made him want to give her things that he had never even thought about before.

He wanted to make her happy.

He wanted to see her smiling all of the time.

He wanted to take away that awful loneliness she felt at times.

He wanted to cherish her and protect her, to tell her that it would all be all right, even if it wasn't true.

He wanted to love her.

But was he capable of giving her such things? It was no secret that he could appear cold and aloof at times – even downright unapproachable! What if, one day, he hurt her? What if–

No. There was no use in thinking of what ifs and maybes. Nothing came free in life – Itachi had learned that the hard way. If he wanted something, he had to grab it and _make it his_.

However, for now, he was simply content with watching Sakura grow accustomed to her new life.

* * *

The Sabaku clan and Naruto were still around, although they spent most of their days searching for leads on Tsunade, Shizune and Jiraiya. With the help of Shisui and Mikoto, Naruto had focused hard on his connection with Jiraiya. It had been difficult for the blond, as he was not one for concentration, but in the end, he managed to do it. Jiraiya was alive, but was in hiding. Most likely with Tsunade and Shizune.

The tale of Uzumaki Naruto was a sad one, a painful one.

With Sakura seated comfortably between his legs, her side and head leaning against him as he himself leaned against a tree, Itachi closed his eyes and slowly wrapped his arms around her.

At a young age, Naruto had lost both his parents in a horrific way. They never managed to get to the bottom of what happened to his mother and father, but the news of their deaths had shocked the world. His father, Namikaze Minato, had been a powerful leader. In fact, Minato had been the fourth leader of Konoha before his untimely death. Unlike other leaders of other nations, he had truly wished for peace. He did everything he could to prevent wars and protect his followers. However, one night, he and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, had been assassinated. The assassin had never been captured or found out. At the time of his parents' death, Naruto had only been a baby. Only trusted elders of Konoha knew of his existence. To keep him safe, they had locked him away, kept him out of sight of the public eye, hoping that, if the assassin should ever return, it would not be to kill Naruto.

However, as he grew older, Naruto lashed out. He grew to hate the men who locked him away, to hate the overwhelming loneliness that was forever trying to take over him. One of his guards, his protectors, had been none other than himself. He, Uchiha Itachi, had been trusted to take care of a rebellious, loud–mouth brat.

One day, not long before Naruto's fifteenth birthday, Itachi all but dragged Sasuke to Naruto's 'home'. It had been more of a prison, if Itachi was completely honest. Sure, he had been allowed outside, but only in the enclosed area surrounding his 'home'. Sasuke had been stunned when he met Naruto, but Itachi liked to think that they had become friends. Naruto even thought of Sasuke as his brother, even though the latter refused to acknowledge it. Itachi knew that, though the feelings were hidden, Sasuke also cared for Naruto. They were friends. Sasuke was Naruto's first ever bond and (not including his clan) Naruto was Sasuke's.

Not even a year later, the assassin returned on a night that Itachi had not been on duty, when he had been away on a hunt. If it hadn't been for Naruto's godfather, Jiraiya, then he would have died that night. Somebody had leaked the information about him. Not to the whole world, of course, but still to highly dangerous men. Jiraiya had somehow caught wind of that and had been there as fast as he possibly could, desperate to protect his student's son, his godson.

That was the night Uzumaki Naruto was turned into a vampire.

It had been the only way to save him.

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

Glancing down at the soft voice, Itachi readjusted his hold so that Sakura could move back slightly and look up at him. "It is nothing, hime."

He could tell by the shy smile she gave him that, if she had still been human, Sakura would be blushing. It amused him greatly how expressive she was, how she wore her heart on her sleeve and left her emotions on show for everybody to see. Itachi knew that she didn't do it on purpose – it was simply who she was. And that was what he liked most about her. She was genuine.

And then Itachi felt it. The warm feeling flowing through their bond from Sakura. It was like the feeling he felt around her. No, it was not as strong as the way he felt, but it was growing each and every day.

Itachi was willing to wait for her, no matter how long it took.

After all, he would be whatever she wanted him to be, for her.


	7. This Is For Her

**Chapter 6 – This Is For Her**

They were all sat comfortably in the living room, all speaking about their past lives and their lives now. It was mostly Naruto and Kankuro who were speaking, but Mikoto, Temari and Shisui often threw in a memory here and there.

Sakura smiled to herself as she looked around. It was nice. Even Fugaku seemed more relaxed as he sat comfortably beside his wife. There was a warmth in his eyes whenever she would speak and it made Sakura's stomach flutter. She hoped that, one day, somebody would look at her that way. She hoped that somebody would look at her with their full attention, with unconditional love. Sure, Fugaku was hiding most of his emotions, but Sakura could see the look he would give Mikoto whenever their eyes connected and it warmed her dead heart.

"What about you, Sakura–chan?" Sakura looked over at Naruto in confusion since she hadn't been paying attention. "None of us have been to school in this time and you're the most recently changed, so I was wondering what it was like for you!"

If she could, she would be blushing as she lowered her head a little, smiling sheepishly. "I was uh… I was the geek of our year."

Naruto's eyes were wide as he sat up from his slouched position. "What? No way! I bet you were super popular!"

Sakura laughed nervously and shook her head, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shorts. "No. I was the least popular. My best friend, Yamanaka Ino, was the most popular person in our school. Everybody looked up to her like she was the queen or something." A softer smile graced Sakura's lips as she remembered Ino. "I was the type of girl who kept her head in the books and studied hard. Though… I often got into fights."

This time, it was Temari who spoke, smirking as she did so. "No offence, but you _do_ seem like the type that gets into fights."

Was it bad that Sakura couldn't even argue with the blonde? During the three weeks the Sabaku clan and Naruto had been staying with them, they had watched Sakura sparring with everyone in the Uchiha clan except for Fugaku, who had still yet to warm up to her. Once or twice, Naruto had sparred with her as well as Kankuro. Sakura had been startled when Kankuro more or less brought puppets to life, but had learned that they weren't actually alive, they were simply being controlled by his chakra. As well as that, they had seen her punching Naruto through trees and across the clearing when he pissed her off.

"Yeah…" Sakura smiled awkwardly. "I've always had anger issues."

"So what happened with your friend? Didn't she stand up for you during those fights?"

She tensed ever so slightly at Kankuro's question, but having Itachi's calming presence sat beside her managed to relax her a little. "Of course. Ino stood up for me all the time against the bullies." Sakura told them all. "She wasn't just my best friend, she was more like a sister." A small smile played along her lips. "We were inseparable growing up and when we went to high school, she did everything she could to keep the others off my back, but it didn't always work." Sighing, Sakura sat back in her seat, frowning ever so slightly. "They were nasty. Always picking on me for things I couldn't help, like my appearance, and jealous that I was the smartest kid at school. They would try and force me to do their homework for them, to tutor them or 'dumb down' my own work so that they could appear better." Her frown began to look more like a scowl and Itachi watched her with hidden wariness as he felt that darker feeling drift through their bond. "If I didn't beat the shit out of them, then Ino did. She would literally hold them down and force them to apologise."

"Sounds like a great friend, if you ask me." Shisui commented.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "So what happened between you and Ino? Did you fall out or something?"

This time, when Sakura tensed, it was much more noticeable. "No… Ino… She was killed in a fire. She had friends over after a night out and they were all drunk." She paused for a moment, staring down at her hands as they continued fidgeting with her shorts. She only vaguely noticed how her hands were trembling, but it wasn't with sadness. It was with anger. "One of them took things too far and locked them all in the house and set it on fire. They… Ino's parents were never the same afterwards. Even my parents took the news hard."

The once happy mood was now sombre and depressing, but Sakura barely even noticed.

"And how did you take it?"

Sakura looked up at Gaara in silent surprise, as this was the first time he had spoken in a while. He seemed to prefer watching others instead of actually getting involved. In fact, it was almost as though he didn't know how to.

"How did I take it?" she repeated the question with a frown, one that deepened when he nodded once. "Not well, obviously. I tried not to focus too hard on it, because it hurt too much. Instead, I did what I do best: I studied. It paid off in the end because I came top of the class and was given permission to work in the hospital, to help out and observe. Of course I wasn't allowed to take part in surgery, as I'm still not skilled enough, but I had others' respect in the hospital. I was eighteen and already training to be a doctor, already on my way to becoming one!"

"You're starting to sound even more like baa–chan!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin, trying to diffuse the obviously depressing mood. "She's a great doctor and can heal with her chakra!"

"Really?" Sakura questioned, looking at them all in shock. "Y–You mean that… that if I can learn to ignore blood, I could help out in hospitals again?" Mikoto smiled gently and nodded and in response, a bright smile lit up Sakura's features. "I want to do that!" Turning to Itachi, her smile increased, looking more like a grin. "Do you think Tsunade–sama would teach me how to heal with chakra?"

It was Naruto who answered as he shot to his feet. "Hell yeah! Tsunade–baa–chan lost people she loved, too! She'll definitely help you."

"Naruto–"

The blond cut off Sasuke, who glared at him murderously for doing so. Since the topic of Ino, he had gone utterly silent and, if it was possible, even a little paler than usual. These were all things Itachi, Shisui and Gaara had not missed. However, since her attention had been elsewhere, Sakura had not noticed. "No, she seriously will!" he argued, seeming to know what Sasuke had been about to say. "Yeah, she's a little blunt and can be harsh at times, but she still cares about people! That's part of the reason why she taught Shizune–nee–chan."

Mikoto glanced up at her husband and then, her eyes settled on Sakura's. The moment she had heard about healing with chakra, they had all seen the hope in her eyes, the happiness. Apparently the young girl had always had a medic's heart. Of course, Mikoto had already known that. It was in the way Sakura would fuss over Itachi, how she had been so very wary of using her chakra enhanced strength against them all. Well, except for Kankuro's puppets. The poor man had had to spend two whole weeks without sleeping or hunting to repair them for Sakura had completely destroyed each and every one of them!

"Oi, but you have to watch out for ero–sennin!" Naruto warned her with wide eyes, waving his arms around in the air. During the past couple of weeks, Sakura had discovered that Naruto was easily excited. Actually, she had learned that on the very first day she had met him. "He's a gigantic pervert!" Sakura had kind of figured that, given the fact that Naruto called him 'ero–sennin'. "He peeps in bathhouses, calling it his 'research' and then writes smutty books!"

It was a pretty frightening thought, having a vampire watching you whilst you bathed, whilst you were doing _anything_! They could mask their presence, so unless you could feel their eyes on you (which was very doubtful, considering it had taken a shift in the wind for Sakura to notice Gaara, Temari, Kankuro and Naruto watching her), you would never know he was there.

Panic began to well up inside of her. What if she had been watched? Before her death, she and Ino had spent a lot of their time at the public bathhouses and not only that, but they had also gone swimming in the lake not too far from here. Oh her insides felt like ice! It wasn't the thought of Jiraiya watching her (though that was equally as alarming) it was the thought of _anyone_ watching her.

"He won't do anything, though." Naruto continued, not noticing Sakura's rising panic. Itachi did. And in response, he gently placed his hand on her lower back. Due to their position, nobody could see that he was touching her other than Gaara and the redhead didn't even spare them a glance other than the split second look when he noticed a hand moving out of the corner of his eye. "Baa–chan would totally kick his ass! She's scary. She beat him up until he couldn't even move properly for weeks! I had to take food to him all the time until he got better."

"I heard Tsunade–sama once used Jiraiya–sama as a football." Shisui spoke up.

Naruto nodded quickly. "She did! In one of his books, he made her the main character and she got_ so mad_!"

Itachi's thumb traced soothing patterns against her lower back as Naruto continued with tales about how Tsunade put Jiraiya in his place over the years. It seemed as though the woman was a protector of all females! Well, protecting them from Jiraiya, that was. And as Naruto continued his stories, Sakura could feel her admiration for the woman growing. To be able to shove aside her thirst for blood and heal people couldn't be easy at all. However, if Tsunade could do it, Sakura was willing to try it, too.

After all, it had been over two months now and she hadn't slipped up once.

Not a drop of human blood had passed her lips.

And she didn't plan on it happening any time soon.

* * *

Itachi had had to go into work today and as Sakura sat down beside their lake, she found herself missing him. She missed his presence and the peace he radiated. She missed how he was able to soothe and calm her by just a simple touch. She missed their conversations, even though she did most of the talking. Most of all, she missed _him._

Damn it! What was wrong with her? He had only been gone for two hours! It was most likely because this was a night shift. Usually, by this time of night, she and Itachi would be laying together in this very spot. They would be talking quietly to one another and he would be holding her gently in his arms. It sounded strange, but in his arms, Sakura felt like nothing bad could ever happen to her. She felt like he would always be around to protect her and keep her safe.

He comforted her. He made her happy. Nobody had been able to make her this happy… _ever_! It felt different to her usual happiness. And she really liked it, but at the same time, it scared her. Itachi had her trust – one hundred and ten percent of it – but what if something happened and he suddenly wasn't there anymore? What would happen to her? How would she be able to go on without having him by her side? It had only been two months since he saved her life by introducing her to this world, but already, Sakura knew that she wouldn't be able to go on without him. He kept her strong and he kept her safe. Itachi was her protector and her saviour. When she needed help or needed somebody to calm her down, he did so without questions, without any expectations. And she was so very grateful for that.

Leaning back against the tree, Sakura bit her lip and looked up at the dark sky. The clouds were out tonight and it was spitting rain, though not enough to actually soak her. Even if it was, Sakura was covered beneath their tree.

Hardly anyone was around tonight. In fact, the only ones at the Uchiha clan's home were her and Gaara and she had no idea where the hell he was. If Gaara didn't want to be found, then you had no chance in finding him. Itachi and Shisui were both working and the rest were all hunting. Well, Sakura presumed that they were hunting. Sasuke had been distant and cold all day – more so than usual – and then suddenly, around half an hour ago, he just disappeared.

Other than visiting her father that one time, Sakura had yet to venture further than the lake. For now, she was simply content with hanging around the house and relaxing. However, part of her was growing restless. No matter how much she sparred with the others and no matter how many times she hunted, nothing would ease her of that restless feeling. In all honesty, Sakura had always been the adventurous type, but she was afraid of leaving her safety here with the Uchiha clan. What if something went wrong? What if her control slipped and she attacked a human? What if she attacked somebody she knew? Just the thought made her insides twist painfully.

The sound of footsteps approaching her had Sakura inwardly frowning. Was it odd of her to feel uncomfortable with somebody other than herself or Itachi coming to the lake? Probably not. In her head, this was their place. When Itachi wasn't working, they would sit under this very tree for hours together. Turning her head to the side slightly, Sakura waited patiently as the person revealed himself by stepping out of the trees and walking towards her. The first thing she spotted were icy blue, intense eyes and the next she spotted was the kanji on his forehead.

Gaara.

His features were as blank as the day she met him. They hadn't talked much since the day he had been trying to get her to join his clan. She watched him silently as he placed down his gourd and sat down beside it, not too far away from her, yet not close enough to be considered as friendly.

She wondered what he wanted. Why had Gaara come by here? It wasn't like she could stop him or tell him he couldn't sit there with her, because she couldn't control him and she couldn't exactly say "this place is for me and Itachi only". Inwardly, Sakura asked herself if maybe he was lonely. She hadn't failed to notice how he remained silent whenever they were all together, like he didn't know how to interact with them all. She wondered why he felt like that because even Fugaku and Sasuke had spoken more than he did, which was seriously saying something.

For well over ten minutes, they simply sat in silence. Sakura had gone back to looking up at the sky, watching the rain as it began to come down harder, whilst Gaara leaned back against a tree and shifted his gourd under it, keeping it out of the rain.

Sakura forced herself to relax. Gaara was not her enemy, so there was no reason to treat him as one. For all she knew, he probably _was _lonely. He probably only wanted to sit in her company so that he wouldn't be alone. Sakura couldn't hold that against him. She knew what that awful feeling of loneliness felt like and she wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

"I understand," he spoke suddenly, though paused as Sakura's eyes snapped to his and, noticing her eyebrows knitting together in confusion, he continued, "how you felt during your school years." Sakura's eyes widened, utterly stunned. No, she wasn't interested in him romantically and yes, Gaara could appear as extremely intimidating, but there was no denying that he was attractive. "I was also an outcast and my entire village despised me."

His entire village? Sakura's dead heart broke for him. So what if those at school bullied her? Gaara had an _entire village_ hating him! "Why?"

At her soft, broken voice, Gaara's eyes slipped over to hers languidly. He appeared relaxed, but Sakura could see the slight tension in his shoulders as his head leaned back against the trunk of the tree. "During the time when I was human, they believed that I was a monster." Gaara told her. "My ability to control sand started long before I became a vampire and for that, I was labelled as an outcast. People feared me. They avoided me. On more than one occasion, there had even been assassins sent after me." Sakura's hand covered her mouth in shock and horror. "They were sent by the leader of the village… my own father."

How could somebody do that to their own child? It made Sakura feel sick to her stomach.

"It may not be the same, but we were both outcasts for things we cannot help."

Sakura shook her head. "No, you're much stronger than I ever was. Just having those at school hate me hurt me so badly that I started to hate myself. Their words and actions made me look in the mirror and feel sick with what I saw, with who was staring back at me. There were times…" her eyes lowered to the ground. "There were times when I even contemplated suicide, just to get away from it all. I couldn't even begin to imagine what you went through. To still be here, you must have–"

"No." he cut her off. "The sand protects me automatically, even against myself." Once again, her eyes snapped to his, showing him her confusion and, with a sigh, Gaara stood up and told her to do the same. "Punch me."

Was he insane? "I can't punch you!"

He stared at her blankly.

"Gaara…"

"Trust me."

Trust him? How… Itachi was the only one with her full and unwavering trust. Despite how loving and kind she had been, not even Mikoto had that yet. But then again, Gaara understood her.

Sighing, Sakura stepped closer to him and out of her shelter from the rain as she clenched her fist tightly. "With or without chakra?"

"With."

And as she did, instead of her fist connecting with his face, it instead connected with sand, making it explode around them at the collision. Sakura frowned and went to punch him with her left hand, but again, she was stopped. She hadn't even seen the sand leave his gourd! As it returned to the gourd, Gaara was once again shown standing no more than a foot away from her, his expression empty and his stance relaxed.

"You don't have to control it at all?"

Gaara shook his head, going back to underneath the tree as he sat down. After a moment, Sakura did the same. "No. And that is why people feared me. When angered, my chakra would summon the sand and it would lash out. I couldn't control it when I got emotional. It was like the sand would become something entirely different – like it was alive. It was because of the sand that many people from the village died, because I couldn't control the sand and stop it from lashing out and hurting them."

She didn't judge him. How could she? If Gaara had no control of the sand protecting him, then it really wasn't his fault why those people died. It sounded heartless of her, she knew that, but it was the truth.

"Now, after having years to perfect my control over sand, I can stop it from attacking of its own accord. However, I cannot stop it from protecting me. Even when I am without chakra and worn out, it will still protect me. It will always protect me. It does not matter whether it is physically or emotionally. If my sand senses a threat, it will defend me."

A gentle smile pulled at the corners of her lips. Like Gaara had his sand, she had Itachi. He had saved her life. Even though he could have passed her by without a second thought and never looked back, he had instead stopped and came to help her. And then, he had gone on to protect her several times since then. Not only physically, but also emotionally. Just like Gaara's sand.

They fell silent for a while, though it was more of the fact that neither of them could think of anything more to say rather than they were comfortable with sitting in silence. It was different than when she sat with Itachi. Yes, it seemed Gaara understood the loneliness she had felt and had also received hatred from those who didn't even know him well enough to hate him, but… Sakura didn't even know how to explain her thoughts. All she could describe it as, was that it was different than anything she had ever experienced before. She felt warm when she thought of Itachi, or when he was by her side.

Movement had Sakura's head snapping to the side and had Gaara's eyes narrowing a fraction. It was rushed, like the person approaching was in a hurry. Sakura listened carefully to the sounds and, like Itachi had taught her to, she focused on their chakra.

"It's Sasuke." she mumbled as they both pulled themselves to their feet to wait for his arrival. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gaara put his gourd onto his back once more. "But I wonder why he's in such a rush?"

Gaara didn't have time to reply as Sasuke tore through the opening to the small clearing, stopping just a mere foot away from her. His eyes were wild, his hair was tousled and due to how fast he had been running and his abrupt stop, the wind blew her hair backwards and off her face. It returned to normal after a couple of seconds.

"What's wrong with–"

"Hear me out." his voice was low and serious and in response, Gaara's eyes once again narrowed. Sasuke had been acting different all day in his opinion. Sure, he didn't know the Uchiha personally to make such a judgement, but he knew enough of his personality. In some ways, he and Sasuke were very much alike. It was why they had fought the last time they met. "I wasn't exactly secretive about it, but for the past month, I have been going into Konoha." There was a pause as he watched her face carefully for her reaction. "To where you was attacked."

Sakura's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened before suddenly, anger was filling her. How dare he go and do something like that? "I told you that I don't want revenge!" Sakura spat, her fists trembling as she forced herself _not_ to punch a hole through his chest. Her control on her chakra enhanced strength still wasn't too great. To perfect it, she needed the master of that strength. Tsunade. "Why the hell would you go there? I just want to forget that it ever happened!"

"It's impossible for you to forget!" he yelled right back at her. "Look at you! You want to find those guys. I can see it in your eyes! It's why you're so angry right now."

Taking a deep, calming breath, Sakura willed herself to calm down. "No."

"And if I told you that you're not the only girl they attacked?" Sasuke questioned her, one of his dark eyebrows raising ever so slightly. "What if I told you that they've attacked people you know, people you _knew_?"

_Ino._

That was the first face that flashed through her mind.

"Don't." Sakura whispered as she took a half–step back, her right arm raising as though she was putting a wall between them, like she would no longer be able to hear his words. "_Don't_!"

The redhead standing not too far away watched them closely, his eyes flashing dangerously as he realised what Sasuke was doing. No, he wouldn't be telling her this to get some sort of sick kick out of it all. Sasuke was telling her what he had found out because he honestly believed the people should be brought to justice. Not only that, but Sasuke believed that it should be Sakura who punished them. Gaara felt like crushing the Uchiha with his sand just so Sakura didn't hear his vile words, but he knew he couldn't do that. The Uchiha clan would attack his clan within a split second and he would lose his friendship with Naruto – his first friendship.

"I have been watching them closely for over a month now." he said to her. "After tracing their scents back to their current hideout, I infiltrated their… group." It was too pathetic to call an organisation. "They prey on young, beautiful girls and watch them for a while, learning their schedules and personalities and other things such as that. Then, once they have gathered enough information, they attack." There was a short pause and for a moment, Sakura saw something flash in his eyes, but it was gone too quickly for her to be able to tell what it was. "Your friend, Yamanaka Ino–"

"No."

"She was blonde." he ignored her attempts at shutting him up. "Blue eyes, though one of them was hidden due to the way she styled her hair. Often wore the colour purple as it was her favourite colour." Sakura was falling to her knees now, her fingers clawing into the dirt as she sobbed tearlessly. "She was one of their victims, though Ino managed to get away by sheer luck and coincidence. However, considering that she saw their faces, they decided that they had to silence her."

Ino's sudden change flashed through Sakura's mind. Her best friend had always been a loud girl and was definitely hard to ignore, but it wasn't until a several months before her death that she began drinking rather heavily. Sakura had thought that she was simply experimenting like most teenagers seemed to do, but now… What if Ino had been blocking out the memory of what had happened to her? Sasuke had said that she managed to get away, but it would have still been a traumatizing experience, even if it didn't go as far for Ino as what had happened to her.

Hands twitching and sand swirling restlessly in his gourd, Gaara growled out, "Uchiha. I suggest you stop filling Sakura's head with such thoughts."

But Sasuke ignored him. "She stayed with you for a while, which is how they found out about _you_, which is why you became one of their victims. Later on, to silence her, they waited for Ino to return to her home and, uncaring that she had others with her, they locked all the exits – just as you had said – and set the house on fire."

Suddenly, Sakura was shaking her head. "No. You're wrong. T–The fire started–"

"From the inside." he interrupted her. "But Ino had a balcony and a basement, didn't she?"

Sakura felt as though she was going to be sick. "…She did."

Honestly, she had always thought of what had happened as strange. There had been no motive behind it. The detectives and fire department had merely written it off as one of her guests being a pyromaniac and a psychopath. Of course that hadn't been their actual words, but it was close enough. They never found the culprit, never found the person who actually started the fire. All they had been able to figure out was who had been in there, who never made it out alive.

Just the thought of Ino going through something slightly similar to what happened to her had Sakura's insides aching, had her eyes filling with tears. Ino, the girl who was always smiling, always sticking up for her but at the same time, forcing her to grow stronger and more independent by pushing her and teasing her. The girl who had been there for her no matter how bad things got. The girl who had never left her side.

The girl she considered her sister.

Sakura was oozing murderous intent as she slowly stood up and her body was trembling with rage as her eyes snapped to Sasuke's. "Take me to them." she spat through clenched teeth. "_Now_."

He froze for just a split second before nodding once.

However before they could leave, a wall of sand was in front of them.

"Gaara–"

"No." Gaara shook his head once. "I will not allow you to go through with it. That dark path you're stumbling onto is dangerous and you may lose yourself on it as I once lost myself."

"I'm not doing this for me." Sakura told him coldly, not even sparing Gaara a single glance as her fist was suddenly glowing blue with chakra and raising. "This is for her."

Her fist smashed into the sand and the earlier explosion that had occurred when Gaara was showing her how his sand worked was nothing compared to now.

And then she and Sasuke were running through the forest.

Gaara cursed to himself as he ran in a different direction, going to the one person he knew would be able to stop Sakura.

Itachi.

* * *

When they arrived, Sakura's anger had not simmered in the slightest. It felt like the darkness she often felt lurking in her mind had suddenly sprung forth, blinding her as it took over her body. However, whilst she had no control over her body, Sakura still knew what she was doing and she didn't disagree with it at all. Did that make her a monster? Even if it did, she didn't care. These men… They deserved everything that would be coming to them.

The building was an average sized, seedy looking place and there were several cars outside, though Sakura paid little attention to that. She was instead focusing on the sounds she could hear within the building. From the sound of it, she was guessing there were eleven of them in there. There had only been three that had attacked her, but that didn't matter to Sakura. If they were members of that unforgivable group, she was going to tear them to shreds.

Her upper lip curled with disgust and anger as she and Sasuke overheard their conversation.

"_That one was feisty!"_

"_You're telling me! Look at the fucking claw marks on my back."_

They both stood there opposite the building, looking as still as statues and to anybody who saw them, they would appear unnatural. They would look deadly and dangerous and they would appear to be the predators that they were. Right now, they really did look like vampires. Sasuke's sharingan was activating, spinning wildly whilst Sakura was barely managing to keep herself from storming into the building.

"_Please_." a voice scoffed and it sent a lightning bolt of recognition through Sakura. He was one of the men who had attacked her and from the cackles that joined his next words, she knew that the other two were there, too. "_That bitch was nothing compared to the one we had before. You should have seen her!"_

It was with that comment that Sakura lunged forward, her eyes wide with a vengeful look as she did so. Right behind her was Sasuke, who seemed unwilling to leave her alone with the men. That didn't matter to her. Just as long as he didn't try to take this away from her, she didn't care. Ino needed justice for what had happened to her.

As they stalked their way through the building, Sasuke clenched his fists as the men continued their foul conversation.

"_Oh yeah? And what was she like, then?"_

"_See this picture? She's the one. She was perfect – a screamer, too_." the man chuckled. "_I swear, Aoi had to break her back in order to stop her from getting away! Though, I guess that made fucking her more thrilling. She had these bright green eyes–"_

They all fell silent when the door was suddenly kicked open and slamming into the opposite wall, as it was ripped from its hinges and causing a small crater in the opposite wall where it landed and the man who had been talking took a step back, growing deathly pale as he recognised her.

"Y–You!" he stammered, his brown eyes wide and filled with horror. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Sakura gave a deadly smirk and tilted her head to the side. "Don't tell me you're not glad to see me. I thought you liked a screamer?"

"Oi," another man chuckled as he stood up, "you know her or something, Toshi? If not, I want her."

The man who had attacked her, Toshi, nodded numbly. "She's the one I was telling you guys about just now! The girl in the pictures!"

As they continued their inane conversation, Sakura felt her rage increasing as her eyes scanned the room. It seemed Sasuke had been telling the truth – they _did _watch their victims for a while before attacking them. There were so many pictures and just the sight of them had Sakura feeling overwhelmed by her anger and pain and sorrow. There were pictures of her doing many different things and going about her every day routine, but that wasn't what upset her the most.

They had pictures of Ino.

Sasuke had been telling the truth, after all.

It was with that thought that she lashed out. Cold and ruthless and most definitely unforgiving.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was trembling as he pulled Sakura out of the room. _Him_. _Trembling._

It had been a bloodbath and not a single person had escaped Sakura's rage.

She had slaughtered them all whilst he got rid of the pictures of her and the evidence of Sakura being one of their victims. There had been no quick and painless deaths like he thought there would be. Sakura had literally ripped them to pieces and forced them all to suffer. That was partly why he was trembling so badly. The blood… God, his throat was _burning_ with the need to sate his thirst! How she hadn't… He swallowed hard.

"Itachi."

At her mumbling, Sasuke glanced down at her. He needed to get her cleaned up before somebody saw her for Sakura looked as though she had been bathing in blood. And she had been. There had been no happiness on her face and there had been no deranged excitement or pleasure. All there had been was anger and pain. She was merely punishing the wicked, punishing those who deserved to be punished.

"He's not here, Sakura."

Shaking her head, Sakura looked up at him with her exhaustion obvious. "He'll be here in four minutes and he's not happy."

Sasuke blinked once, twice, and then a third time in surprise. Just how deep was the bond between Sakura and Itachi? The Uchiha clan's bond with Tsunade was nowhere near as powerful as theirs seemed to be. Yes, they could sense when the blonde was near and could tell whether she was injured or not, but they couldn't tell how long it would take for her to reach them or for them to reach her.

Once Sakura had slaughtered her enemies, she had looked around her with dead, haunted eyes and, for a moment, Sasuke had felt almost overwhelmed by the regret he had felt. He should have just kept his mouth shut instead of giving that darkness a key to release itself. No, it hadn't only released itself. It had been more like an explosion of built up anger and hatred.

"Stop here." she murmured to him and, doing as she said, Sasuke did stop and lowered her carefully until she was sitting on the ground.

It was only a minute or so later that a figure appeared beside them and at the anger in Itachi's eyes, Sasuke's widened. Yes, Itachi had been angry at him a few times, but never this angry. Actually his older brother appeared to be livid and the fury in his eyes only grew at the sight of Sakura. He didn't blame Itachi for being angry with him. Sasuke knew that he deserved it because, right at that moment in time, Sakura was sitting on the ground, staring down at the space between her legs with blank eyes. But instead of their usual innocence, there was now a haunted look.

"Leave us." Itachi growled to Sasuke, not even attempting to sound calm.

Sasuke knew not to argue and did exactly as he was told.

Once certain that Sasuke was no longer within hearing range, Itachi glanced down at Sakura and felt his dead heart aching at the look in her eyes. This was exactly what he didn't want to happen to her. Itachi hadn't wanted Sakura to have to see the sort of things he had. Of course, it was slightly different since she had been the one to cause it, but that did not matter right now. What mattered was this awful feeling that was filling her. It was no longer pain, nor anger.

Sakura was numb.

"Stand up, hime." Itachi murmured to her and even though it took a couple of minutes, Sakura slowly did as he said. "Did you–"

She shook her head, looking up at him with that tired, exhausted look. "I didn't let a single drop of their blood pass my lips. I–I didn't want them to be a part of me. Itachi… they killed Ino. They tried to attack her like they attacked me but she managed to get away. It was because she got away that they killed her and all those other innocent people in her home."

So _that _was what the agonizing feeling Sakura had been experiencing earlier was. Gaara had mentioned something about Ino, but by that time, Itachi had been more concerned about getting to Sakura before she attacked the men.

"Come." his voice was still nothing but a murmur as he took her hand and pulled her further away from the hideout. Really, Sakura shouldn't have left the forest since she was supposed to be abroad. If her parents had spotted her (considering she wasn't that hard to miss), then things could have become much more difficult and that's not even mentioning the fact that she was drenched in blood. "You need to get cleaned up."

Sakura nodded. "Are you…" Itachi paused in his walking and turned to face her, showing Sakura that she had his attention. "Are you angry with me? O–Or disgusted?"

He couldn't exactly answer no, since she could feel his emotions through their bond. "Not with you." Itachi sighed and pulled her closer, ignoring the blood that was now staining his police uniform. He had spares. "I am disgusted with those men for what they did and I am angry with Sasuke for–"

"Don't be." she whispered, pressing her face into his chest, her arms wrapping tightly around him. It felt like Itachi was the only thing that was keeping her there and at the same time, it felt like he was keeping her from drowning. "Sasuke… He did what he thought was right. And I'm… I'm glad he told me."

That didn't lessen his anger in the slightest. "Come, hime."

The journey back to the house was silent and when they got halfway there, Itachi had to carry her for Sakura just couldn't go on. Since she was still fairly new to this life, she was still weak. No, not weak. Young. She didn't have as much energy as the others, just like a newborn baby (or a toddler) didn't have the same amount of energy or stamina as an adult. Add mental and emotional exhaustion to the mix…

Itachi sighed and tightened his hold on Sakura and instead of walking through the front door, he leaped up onto his balcony. His parents still had not returned and neither had Shisui, but the Sabaku clan and Naruto were all downstairs. Sasuke was currently up in his bedroom, most likely brooding. The reason why he had taken her straight to his own bedroom was because Itachi had to clean her up.

It was strange. Since Sakura had been staying with them, other than to grab clean clothes and whatnot, Itachi hadn't been in his room for longer than five minutes. It no longer felt like his room.

"Can you stand?"

Her eyes were heavy as they drifted up to meet his and before she could even open her mouth, Itachi was already moving in the direction of his bathroom, sitting her down on the closed toilet seat once they were in there. Not for the first time, Sakura was stunned by how fast he was.

Other than the sound of water running, it was silent.

Inwardly, Sakura was screaming at herself to stop acting so pathetic. She wanted to speak with Itachi, wanted to tell him how confused and sick she felt. It was aggravating how weak she was appearing, but at the same time, Sakura knew she could do little about it. Her body just wouldn't respond to her and right now didn't really feel like the time to be smiling (or faking a smile). Itachi would not have believed it even if she did.

Once the bath was ready, Itachi lifted Sakura wordlessly, though paused when he felt her body tensing, when he felt the panic filling her as his hands went to remove her blood soaked clothing.

"Do you trust me?"

There was still panic in her eyes as she looked up at him. "Y–Yes."

"I will not hurt you." he told her quietly. "And I will not take advantage of you. You have my word."

If it wasn't for the fact he was currently holding her up, Sakura would have told him that she didn't need help taking a bath. Right at that moment in time, however, her entire body felt like it was being weighed down by an extremely heavy force. Also, Itachi had seen her naked before. On the night that he had saved her. The only difference was that she was now fully conscious.

After Sakura nodded, Itachi slowly began to peel the clothes from her body, trying his best not to awaken her thirst for blood as he did, due to her being too exhausted to actually go out and hunt. It was difficult, though. However, it seemed Sakura was trying her best to ignore it, although her eyes flashed with the look she often got whilst hunting when he lifted her shirt over her head and the blood was wafted right under her nose. There really had been no other way to remove it unless he tore it off her body. He didn't think it would be appropriate for him to do such a thing. It seemed rather… aggressive. She could also take it the wrong way and become even more panicked.

Once she was undressed, Itachi once again picked her up and gently lowered Sakura down into the hot water, immediately grabbing a sponge and soap so that he could get started with removing the blood. It just looked so wrong seeing her covered in it. It made his stomach twist almost violently. Sakura was innocent. She was not supposed to look this way. She was not supposed to reek of blood and death.

At one point during the bath, Itachi had to drain the water and run it once again due to it being too dirty to do any good in cleaning Sakura. Not only that, but as soon as she started to look more like herself, Itachi found it becoming increasingly difficult to focus on his task. And the tension only grew as he lifted her out of the bath. Itachi closed his eyes, trying his best not to focus on the fact her naked body was pressed against him.

Sakura's eyes snapped to Itachi's face as she felt his emotions as though they were her own. Part of her wanted to yell at him, to remind him of the promise he had made only an hour ago. Another part of her… It was almost like she enjoyed that she could capture his attention in such a way. After all, Itachi was always composed and seemingly emotionless and she had just broken that mask. His muscles were tensed and there was a very faint creasing between his eyebrows.

Biting her lip, Sakura looked down at his lips, noticing for the first time how soft they looked, how his lower lip was a little fuller than his upper lip. It took her a moment to realise that Itachi's eyes were now open, looking down at her with a mixture of different emotions that were usually so very well hidden. When she did notice, her eyes drifted up to his and Itachi didn't need their bond to realise that Sakura was feeling unsure. Not only unsure, but she was also confused and…

And feeling what he could feel at that exact moment.

It surprised Itachi that Sakura was the one leaning up to him, how one of her hands ran through his hair and pulled him closer until there was barely even room left between their lips, until their breath intermingled. All Itachi could see were her stunningly green eyes and her full lips, whilst all Sakura could see, was him. Just Itachi. Nothing was more important at that moment in time than him. She trusted him completely.

Just as his lips brushed against hers, sending a shock of pleasure and warmth down her spine, somebody knocked on the door.

"Ignore them." Sakura whispered inaudibly. The only reason Itachi knew what she had said was because of her lips ghosting over his.

He agreed with her completely, but as he went to press his lips fully against hers, the knocking increased.

"_Itachi_!" Mikoto called, sounding panicked. "_There is an emergency._"

Despite wanting nothing more than to kiss Sakura, the tone in his mother's voice told him how serious it must be.

"We will continue with our conversation later, hime." Itachi murmured to her once he heard his mother go back downstairs.

Part of him wished that he could have seen Sakura blush, even if it was just one time, for he knew that right now, if she could, she would have been blushing.

Instead of voicing such thoughts, he set Sakura down onto her feet, one of his hands reaching out and grabbing a towel to cover her body with. It didn't even take a minute to dry her off and dress her in some of his own clothes (as well as change his own, since his were covered in blood). He didn't have to do it, but Itachi couldn't deny that he enjoyed seeing her wearing the Uchiha emblem on her back. No, he enjoyed seeing her wearing _his_ clothing (even though they drowned her figure and they had to tie the strings on the pants tightly). Inwardly frowning to himself, Itachi guided her down the stairs and towards the living room. He sounded like a teenager with a silly crush! It was so unlike him that it was laughable.

By the time they arrived, everybody was in the living room, all, in their own way, looking uneasy and on edge.

"Sakura–chan!" Naruto exclaimed, genuine relief showing on his features as he turned to face her. "You're okay…" his voice trailed off, his eyes widening and not even a second later, Naruto was pointing accusingly at Itachi, screaming, "You can't dress her up like that! Sakura–chan's my–"

"She is your _nothing_." Itachi narrowed his eyes a fraction and it took quite a bit of effort to stop his sharingan from activating of its own accord out of anger. "And I would appreciate it if you kept comments such as those to yourself, Naruto–kun. It is not polite to claim a person as though they are nothing more than property."

Naruto's eyes were wide and his jaw was slack before he turned to Sakura. "I didn't mean it like that, Sakura–chan! I don't think you're only property."

It didn't go unnoticed how she was too weak to do anything more than give a small smile.

"What happened tonight?" Fugaku demanded, his voice low and serious.

"There was a call at the station," Shisui added, looking straight at Itachi and Sakura, "about a massacre not too far from Konoha town centre. I haven't had the time to go there myself, so I don't know for sure what has happened. Whatever happened, however, the other officers are saying that whoever did it, is not human."

All eyes fell to Sakura, who was staring down at the ground.

Itachi's eyes narrowed once again. "Get to the point, Shisui."

It was Mikoto who spoke up, her usually quiet voice sounding oddly strained yet still melodic at the same time. It pained Sakura to hear the woman sounding so stressed. "Hunters are already at the scene. Your father and I were just driving by when we spotted them. There are sixteen altogether, though I recognise none of them. Neither does your father." There was a soft sigh before she spoke again. "They were apparently already in the area, if what little we heard of their conversation is true."

"I didn't know that they were hanging around." Sasuke muttered, scowling down at the ground.

"What you did was still unnecessary." Itachi told him and it occurred to his clan then that he was acting very out of character tonight. "I don't care if you are bored, Sasuke. Do _not_ use Sakura for your entertainment."

The younger brother's fists clenched tightly, his upper lip curling as he snarled in return, "Or you'll do what, huh? I didn't mean for any of that to happen!"

Just as Itachi went to reply with a snarl of his own, Mikoto stepped in between them, honestly fearing for her youngest son's life. No, Itachi would never intentionally hurt him, but there was no telling what he would do when he was acting the way he currently was. Even Shisui looked startled! Nobody had ever seen Itachi so protective of somebody before, especially not a girl. It just wasn't like him!

"Enough." Mikoto snapped, glancing over her shoulder at Itachi before turning back to face Sasuke. "We don't need any more fights breaking out today, do you understand me? Sasuke, we know that you didn't mean to hurt Sakura–chan the way you have, but it does not change the fact that it has. Yes, you only wanted to see those who harmed her punished–"

"They didn't only hurt her!" he yelled right back at her, ignoring his father's warning growl. "They killed her friend, too!"

Silence.

Once again, Sasuke was snarling. "I knew the moment Sakura told us what happened to her friend that something wasn't right about the story and don't any of you pretend like you didn't think that either. Humans are violent, yes, but there was no reasoning behind it since _everybody_ in the house died. So I started from where Sakura was attacked and followed their scents to the hideout, saying that I wanted in on their group. They accepted once I passed some pathetic test to prove my strength. It was about two weeks later that I discovered what really happened to Yamanaka Ino. Just like Sakura, she was attacked, only, unlike Sakura, Ino got away before they could actually rape her. It was because she got away that they killed her." his eyes narrowed for a moment. "That is why they watched their victims. It was so they knew enough about them to fix their mistakes. Sakura did the world a favour by ridding it of those vile creatures."

"That doesn't change the fact that you've screwed with her head!" Naruto yelled at his best friend. His anger was obvious to them all as it twisted his features and Sakura was stunned to see him so angry. Naruto looked like an entirely different person. "Look at her! She's too exhausted to even stand by herself!"

Feeling Sakura's humiliation and anger, Itachi traced a soothing pattern on her side, his hand hidden from the others' view. "What will we do?"

They all looked up at Itachi and fell silent at the blank look on his face. It had taken a while, but it seemed that Itachi had finally reigned in his emotions once again. Sakura closed her eyes and sighed. Apparently once he unleashed his emotions, Itachi needed a little time to hide them once more. She would have to keep that in mind because, whilst she very much enjoyed seeing his emotions and knowing how he was feeling from something other than their bond, she knew that he didn't appreciate having everybody else seeing them. No, it wasn't that he didn't appreciate it, it was just that it annoyed him that he was unable to hide them.

Exchanging a look with Fugaku, Mikoto once again sighed. "We were thinking that, since Sakura–chan wishes to have Tsunade–sama train her, she should go with Naruto–kun and the Sabaku clan to find her. She is much too weakened to stay here with us. If the hunters find us, we may be unable to protect her and I do not want to see any harm come to her."

Were they… Were they kicking her out of the clan? Sakura's dead heart felt like it was shattering and her hold tightened on Itachi just like his suddenly did on her.

"I will go, too." Itachi's voice was as emotionless as his eyes as he stared at his clan. He knew that the idea wasn't his mother's. It was his father's. However, given that she was his wife, Mikoto would not question him. To do so would be disrespectful of her.

"Itachi–"

His eyes hardened. "I promised Sakura that she would not have to be alone. I do not like breaking my promises."

"Stop being so foolish!" Fugaku snapped angrily. "She is just a girl!"

They were all put even further on edge as Itachi's sharingan activated out of anger. The only person who wasn't intimidated, was Shisui. Instead, he stepped forward and stared Itachi down, his eyes remaining dark and blank but at the same time, serious. "I think you should go with her, Itachi." he stated calmly, ignoring Fugaku's outraged expression. "Your bond with her is too strong for you to be separated now, not to mention Naruto–kun would most likely try to steal her from you." If Itachi was the type, he would have rolled his eyes when Naruto suddenly smirked. Actually, Sasuke _did _roll his eyes. "We're not kicking anybody out of the clan."

"It certainly seems that way." Gaara muttered from his place over by the window, the sand in his gourd moving around restlessly.

His sister nodded, her expression a mixture of different emotions. "No offence, but it kind of looks like you're trying to get rid of Sakura. You can't blame her for what happened because I know I would have done much worse than kill them. And I know for a fact that none of you would have simply sat back and allowed those bastards to get away with what they did if it had been one of you." her eyes narrowed dangerously on Fugaku. "If it had been your wife, you would be acting the exact same way Itachi is right now."

Before Fugaku could say anything, Kankuro stepped in. "We would never tell a member of our clan to leave because of something they couldn't help! Sakura will probably be better with us anyway. At least she won't be forced to leave because–"

"No!" They were all surprised when Sakura suddenly yelled at them, when they saw that she was holding onto Itachi tightly. "I don't want to leave Itachi." Her eyes snapped to Itachi's, wide and panicked. Not even fifteen minutes ago, they had almost been kissing. He had allowed her to see his emotions, something not even his clan got to see often. He had held her and looked at her as though she mattered. "Please." she whispered, her hands shaking. "_Please_!"

Itachi's eyes moved over to Gaara's. "When will we be leaving?"

"Itachi!" Sasuke exclaimed, his eyes wide. "You're leaving us?"

Sakura couldn't even look over in Sasuke's direction as she felt Itachi's torn emotions, as she realised exactly who Itachi was seeing. He wasn't seeing the cold and aloof Sasuke. He was seeing the little boy who was begging for his brother to stay with him.

"Sasuke–"

"No!" Sasuke yelled, his sharingan activating and spinning wildly. "I'm coming with you, too."

Mikoto looked at her two sons, her expression heartbroken and utterly devastated. "Wait, none of–"

"Quiet, Mikoto." Fugaku cut her off. "If they wish to leave, let them."

They could all tell that she wanted to scream at him and most likely hit him, but at that moment, all Mikoto seemed capable of doing, was staring at her husband in shock. There was a mixture of different emotions in her eyes ranging from disbelief, to anger, to betrayal. "They are my sons." she eventually hissed. "They are _your_ sons!" Fugaku opened his mouth, about to argue, but he never had the chance to as she continued. "I already told you of my disliking towards your plan of asking Sakura–chan to leave, but you have stepped way over the line with this, Fugaku! I will not sit back and allow you to destroy our family."

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply as though he needed to keep his anger in check. Moments later, he was looking Itachi dead in the eye. "Do what you must."

It was then that Sakura heard the meaning behind his words. He wasn't telling Itachi to leave. Fugaku was giving him the choice of doing what he believed he had to. Deep down, the older man knew that his son would leave eventually. Not because he wanted to, but because he knew Itachi was a gentle and honourable person.

"I–" Itachi cut himself off, his head snapping to the side as his eyes narrowed. "It seems the hunters have found us."

* * *

**A/N - I haven't edited this chapter completely because I'm too tired. Lately, I'm always exhausted and sleeping a lot more than usual, so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes! I'll try and find the time to edit this chapter fully when I'm not so tired.**


	8. Do What You Must

**Chapter 7 – Do What You Must**

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply as though he needed to keep his anger in check. Moments later, he was looking Itachi dead in the eye. "Do what you must."

It was then that Sakura heard the meaning behind his words. He wasn't telling Itachi to leave. Fugaku was giving him the choice of doing what he believed he had to. Deep down, the older man knew that his son would leave eventually. Not because he wanted to, but because he knew Itachi was a gentle and honourable person.

"I–" Itachi cut himself off, his head snapping to the side as his eyes narrowed. "It seems the hunters have found us."

The way everybody moved into action was terrifying for Sakura, since she was still exhausted, still weakened. Yes, quite a bit of her strength was slowly coming back to her, though not quickly enough for her to be of any use. Like this, she would only be in the way.

"Sasuke," Itachi ordered, "make up for what you have done and protect Sakura."

He wasn't even given the chance to argue but, strangely enough, it didn't seem like he was going to anyway. Instead, Sasuke simply moved over to Sakura, his sharingan still activated and spinning wildly. She could feel the thirst for battle pouring from him, though thankfully, Sasuke wasn't acting on those urges. His stance was tense, like he was ready to pounce the moment the enemy attacked. It made Sakura feel safe.

"Gaara–kun, try and stall them with your sand." Shisui told him before he closed his eyes, only to reopen them a second later and at the sight of them, Sakura gasped. They were not like Itachi's, nor like any of the other Uchihas'. Whilst theirs held three tomoe in each eye, Shisui's was a completely different design. "I will use the Mangekyō and cast a genjutsu over them, which will give us all time to leave."

And just like that, Shisui was vanishing from sight and Sakura could not sense his presence at all.

It was frightening to say the least. Where had he gone? And what was that about genjutsu? What was the Mangekyō and what could it do? Sakura's eyes were now wide and alert as she looked around the room just in time to see Gaara disappearing with a swirl of sand that surrounded his body. What the hell was happening? She felt so confused!

"Do not panic, Sakura." Itachi spoke quietly as he turned to face her. "Go upstairs with Sasuke and pack whatever holds sentimental value to you."

She didn't even have the time to open her mouth as Sasuke suddenly picked her up and darted up the stairs, moving much too fast for her to keep up with. The last thing she saw of Itachi were his eyes locking with hers and she wanted nothing more than to run into his arms. What if he got hurt? It would be all her fault! Why did she have to go and kill those men? Yes, they deserved it, but look at what was happening now!

"Stop blaming yourself." Sasuke huffed as he set her down on her feet. "Hurry up."

Sakura didn't want to know how Sasuke could tell what she was thinking. Itachi had told her more than once during their past two months together that she was an open book to him, though she had thought that it was only to him that she was so open. Apparently not.

Biting her lip, Sakura packed her most important belongings, things she knew for a fact that she couldn't lose or leave behind. For starters, her photo albums and then small trinkets and gifts she had been given over the years by her parents or Ino. Once certain that she had enough room for more, she packed clean clothes. It all fit into a large backpack.

"Should I pack anything for Itachi?"

Glancing over his shoulder at her (since he had been staring out the window, watching for any signs of movement), Sasuke shook his head once. "Our clan has many hideouts and houses in different places. He won't need anything from here. If Itachi has anything important that holds sentimental value to him, it will be on his person."

Immediately, Sakura's mind flashed to the necklace he always wore. Not once had she ever seen him take it off. When Sakura had asked about it, he had told her it was a family heirloom, but said little else about it. It was obvious that it was important to him, though. If it wasn't, Itachi wouldn't always wear it unless he simply forgot to take it off. Sakura doubted that. Itachi wasn't one to forget anything.

Looking around the room to make sure she had everything, Sakura slipped the backpack over her shoulders. "I'm ready."

Sasuke moved away from the window and without saying a word, like she had done with her backpack, he picked her up and slipped her onto his back. It was uncomfortable having Sasuke's hands holding her thighs, having her arms wrapped around his neck and her chest pressed against his back, but there was little she could do. Sasuke had promised Itachi that he would take care of her, that he would make up for what he had done. Sakura refused to make it any harder for the younger Uchiha by tensing up and telling him she didn't want him to be holding her in such a way.

"Where will we meet him?" Sakura kept her voice low as Sasuke ran silently through the large house.

It occurred to her as they entered his bedroom only seconds after leaving hers that she had never been in his room before. That wasn't very surprising, to be honest. However, it _did_ surprise her how basic it was. There were no decorations, only weapons. It looked like a soldier's bedroom. Everywhere Sakura looked, she would spot more kunai or shuriken. He placed her down for a moment as he gathered some weapons and slipped them into a thigh holster and pouch and once he had checked his supplies, he attached the thigh holster to his right leg and then attached the pouch to his hip. It looked as though he had done this many times.

"Itachi will find us."

There was no finding Itachi unless he wanted to be found, that was just a plain fact. Nobody found Itachi, he found them. It annoyed Sasuke to no end. He had attempted many times to try and find his brother when it was so very obvious that he wanted to be alone, but not once had Sasuke ever found him. It was pretty much impossible. His eyes slipped over to Sakura. No, maybe not impossible. Her bond with his brother was strong. Ridiculously strong, in fact.

From what he had heard, however, Itachi had felt connected to Sakura the moment he picked up her scent. Due to having nothing better to do, Sasuke often eavesdropped on others' conversations and over time, he had become much better at it so it was harder for others to know when he was actually there. In some ways, Sasuke would even say that he was an expert at getting into places he should most definitely not be and listening in on private conversations that had absolutely nothing to do with him.

One of those conversations just so happened to be a conversation between his older brother and their cousin, Shisui. To put it simply (since Itachi always spoke cryptically and avoided questions, in his opinion), Shisui had wanted to know what Sakura was to Itachi and why he had gone so far to save her, to which he had replied that she was his life, now. Everything centred around her and had done since the moment he caught her scent. Well, he had more or less said that.

"How can you be so sure?" Sakura demanded as he once again picked her up, adjusting his hold ever so slightly so that she wouldn't be in the way if he needed access to his pouch. If she hadn't been too weak to run, he would have taken his katana. Then again, it would be difficult to take something that wasn't even here. Unfortunately he had left it at another hideout. "What if he gets hurt? We should stay and fight!"

"You can't exactly fight when you're so weak." he spat in return. "You'll just get in his way."

Did she think he liked the thought of leaving his clan behind to fight? His father? His mother? His brother and cousin? Did she think they didn't matter to him? Obviously not in the same way Itachi mattered to her, but they were still important to him. Sasuke despised having to leave them behind to protect her, as he would much rather stay behind and fight with them, so that he could protect them if something went wrong. However, Itachi was right. He had to make up for what he had done and to do so, he had to protect Sakura. Sakura was Itachi's mate, whether she knew it or not.

It was with that thought that Sasuke opened his balcony doors and leaped from the balcony, landing soundlessly on the ground.

There were sounds of battles not too far from them, so obviously there had been more than his parents had thought. Nowadays, hunters had been travelling in bigger packs due to how strong the supernatural side was becoming. Not to mention Sabaku no Gaara was here, as was Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Itachi, Shisui and Sasuke. They were all powerful in their own ways and to go up against them in such small groups? It was suicidal and reckless.

However, considering that four of them were fighting together, the hunters didn't stand a chance.

Itachi and Shisui were the most feared amongst all hunters. The latter more so than the former because there was no one more skilled than Shisui when it came to using genjutsu or speed. He could control your mind without you ever knowing about it. As for Itachi, well, he was a prodigy. Even though he had a pacifistic nature, if somebody he cared for was in trouble and needed his help, he shoved aside how he felt and made damn sure that they got his help. Nobody survived if they threatened Itachi or his clan. Nobody.

Sasuke looked this way and that, his sharingan picking up on all movements surrounding him. Which hideout was he supposed to take Sakura to? The one a couple of hundred miles east of them, or the one even further than that to the north? Damn it! He should have asked Itachi when he had the chance. Then again, his brother was smart enough to–

"_Sasuke_!" he heard his mother screaming desperately. "Look out!"

His sharingan picked up what had his mother screaming a second too late and Sasuke knew that he didn't have time to move both himself and Sakura out of the way. It would catch some part of her body.

Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion as the heat of the attack approached them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his clan slowing in their fighting, could see their panic and pain clearly. Even Itachi and his father looked terrified – which was extremely out of character for them. Naruto was screaming at him, Gaara's sand was rushing over to them, but they would all be too late.

And then Sasuke did something that stunned them all.

He threw Sakura to the ground and spun around to face it head on, shielding her body with his own.

Sakura was Itachi's life now.

And he would do anything to protect his older brother.

A scream tore through his clenched teeth as the fire hit him, as it caught his wrist and began to make its way up his arm. He was done for. He knew that and by the looks on his family's faces, they knew that they wouldn't make it in time to help him, too. His mother, Shisui and Itachi were all making hand signs, summoning their chakra for water jutsu, but the other hunters were already attacking once again, some rejoicing about finally taking down an Uchiha.

Naruto was running towards him, slamming his fists into his enemies' faces, trying to do whatever he could to reach Sasuke, his best friend, his _brother_.

His body was trembling and for the first time since being changed into a vampire, Sasuke was sweating and panting.

But then he felt another's presence by his side.

"Forgive me." Sakura whispered to Sasuke.

And then she was ripping his arm off.

There was a horrible screeching sound that reached his ears and Sasuke could still feel his arm being burned even when it was thrown to the floor many feet away from him. His blurred vision moved across the clearing and Sasuke tried his best to focus on Sakura's features, but it was like she was far away. He could still hear, though. He could hear everything.

"What…"

"_To destroy the body belonging to one of our kind, you must set it on fire. This will stop the vampire from being brought back or put back together again. However, you must get every part of them. If you miss even an inch of the body, your efforts would be wasted and the body would simply be regenerated. It would take some time depending on how bad the damage is, but it can be done_." Sakura recalled, her eyes narrowed and serious as she held onto Sasuke. "That's what Itachi told me the day you pushed me too far and I used chakra enhanced strength. Only your arm was on fire, so I ripped it off to stop it from spreading too far. It will regenerate soon, right?"

Hearing the desperate tone in her voice, Sasuke nodded.

A sudden gust of wind almost knocked them off of their feet and as much as he hated to admit it, if it hadn't been for Sakura's hold on him, Sasuke knew he _would_ be on the ground by now.

"Temari." he grunted, noticing Sakura's shock when she saw the damage the wind had created. The ground was destroyed, quite a few trees had been cut up and damaged and several of the hunters were now dead. "Her fan…"

His teeth clenched as his arm was completely enveloped by the flames and his hand swung up to his shoulder. It was a startling feeling, no longer having a right arm, but he was certain he would manage without it until it regenerated. The regeneration process would take a few months if he managed to feed during that time.

"Come on!" Naruto yelled as he threw Sakura over his shoulder like she was nothing more than a sack of potatoes whilst Kankuro grabbed Sasuke's good arm, moving it over his shoulders. Once they were secure, the two shot off into the forest and Sakura didn't even get the chance to complain about how she was being held.

"What about the others?"

Kankuro glanced down at Sasuke. "You're in no state to be playing hero."

"But they might need our help!" Sakura yelped, trying to lift herself to look up at the two behind her, but Naruto hold was firm and unyielding and she could not shift even the slightest amount. "Naruto! Do you have to–"

"We don't have time to change!" he interrupted her as he picked up his speed. "I'm sorry, Sakura–chan, but you're going to have to hold on until we're no longer being followed."

It was strange and disorientating having the world fly by whilst upside down, but Sakura forced herself not to focus on that too hard.

Right at that moment in time, she could feel Itachi's relief as though it was her own, but she knew that his face would be blank and he would be fighting fiercely to make those who threatened her and his younger brother pay dearly. No, Itachi wasn't the type to seek revenge like Sasuke was, but he was still proud and had honour. Those hunters had almost killed both her and Sasuke, so they had to pay. What they did was unforgivable.

However, what had stuck with her the most was the fear Itachi had felt. _Fear._ It had been paralysing, as had the helplessness. Itachi was not one to feel such things, but he did. He had been terrified of losing her and Sasuke. It had been that fear that forced Sakura to shove aside her exhaustion and jump into action. No, she couldn't save Sasuke's arm, but she had instead saved his life.

"Sakura…"

His voice was thick and it sounded as though Sasuke was about to pass out, so Sakura was quick to try and look up at him, but her hair was in the way and made it difficult to see him. Somehow, her eyes managed to connect with his.

"Why?"

A small smile graced her lips, although she wasn't sure if he could actually see it or not. "Despite everything, you're still the boy from his memories."

Kankuro seemed stunned to see a smile pulling at Sasuke's lips. It wasn't a sly smirk or a bitter smile. It was an actual smile. A real, genuine smile. "…Thank you."

And then he was unconscious.

"Sasuke!"

"Don't worry, Sakura–chan." Naruto mumbled to her, his voice much quieter than usual. "He'll be fine thanks to you."

She bit her lip harshly. No. It was because of her that they were in this mess. It was because of her that two clans were scattered and fighting for their lives. It was her fault why Sasuke had almost died to save her. Her hold tightened on Naruto's back, but he didn't give any signs of acknowledgement other than adjusting his hold slightly so that the hand holding her thighs tightly was more comforting. It seemed he had his moments, too.

But Sakura didn't want Naruto. She wanted Itachi. She wanted him to be the one holding her. Obviously not in the way Naruto was currently carrying her, because the way he was carrying her made her extremely uncomfortable. No Sakura wanted Itachi to hold her in his arms like he had not even an hour ago.

"_We will continue with our conversation later, hime_."

'_You had better keep your promise, Itachi_.'

"Try to sleep, Sakura–chan." Naruto told her. His voice was still quiet, but now it also sounded softer. Comforting. "I promise I'll wake you if anything happens."

Sleep sounded so very tempting, but her mind was too focused on Itachi. On their bond. He wasn't experiencing pain – emotionally or physically. However, a lot could happen in a couple of seconds. Hadn't they all just figured that out? No. She had to stay awake so that she would know if Itachi needed her help. Sakura wasn't sure what she would be able to do for him, but anything was better than nothing. It seemed Naruto realised what she was doing, too, for he heaved a sigh and before Sakura could even react, she was thrown upwards, moving through the air and the hands on her disappeared. Not a second later, however, there were arms wrapped around her tightly, holding her close to a wide chest.

Looking up, Sakura was startled to see that Naruto's eyes were wild as they darted around them, his speed increasing.

Just as she opened her mouth to say something, her eyes widened as she felt a hand connecting with the back of her neck. Panic overwhelmed her for that split second before darkness began to take over.

"I'm sorry." Naruto murmured to her as her unfocused eyes languidly slipped up to his, filled with confusion and perhaps a hint of betrayal. "But it'll be much easier if you're asleep."

And with that, she went limp in his arms and her world went black.

* * *

They were all stunned when Itachi began to fight much more fiercely, when his eyes narrowed dangerously and his blows became much more powerful, each one of his movements creating small craters in the ground. It was obvious that he was looking to end things as quickly as possible and noticing the flash in his eyes had Shisui's widening.

Something must have happened to Sakura.

"Itachi!" he yelled as he finished off yet another troublesome hunter. "Is she okay?"

It was imperative that they didn't mention any names, especially not Sakura's. She was still new to this life, meaning she still had a human family. If the hunters discovered that Sakura held bonds with her human family then it would become so much more dangerous. Not all were so cold and ruthless, but it seemed that this particular group was.

"She is unconscious." Itachi muttered in reply.

The hunters before him made the fatal mistake of looking into his eyes, immediately being thrown into a paralysing genjutsu that froze their bodies on the outside. In their minds, they were surrounded by nothing but darkness. There was no sight, no sound, no feeling, no taste and no sense of smell. All of their senses were gone, leaving them blind and defenceless. Itachi never really liked taking out his opponents this way as it often caused them to panic, but it was much simpler than taking on all five of them at once and at least, this way, he could give them quick and painless deaths. Not that they deserved that kind of death.

His eyes narrowed a fraction.

If it had not been for Sakura's quick thinking, his brother would have been killed. He would have died an excruciating death and there would have been nothing that he or his clan members could have done about it. Sasuke simply… He simply would not exist any longer. And that thought made Itachi's insides twist violently, made a rare, burning feeling of pure anger pulse through him.

He had only felt such anger once before and that was when Orochimaru had attacked his younger brother.

On that day, Itachi had sworn to always protect him.

His little brother.

Snarling, one of Itachi's hands flew through the seals for the jutsu his clan was well–known for.

"Get back!" Shisui yelled to the other vampires, his sharingan picking up on what was about to happen.

"_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!_"

Unlike Sasuke's fireball, Itachi's was much larger and more fierce. But that didn't mean he had any less control over it. No, Itachi knew better than to use a jutsu he had very little control over in such a serious battle – especially not a fire type jutsu. Just one wrong movement, too much or too less of chakra, and he could accidentally kill them all.

The roaring flames of his fireball almost completely drowned out the screams of agony coming from the hunters who were not caught in his genjutsu as they were enveloped by the unforgiving flames.

In a way, his jutsu reminded Itachi of himself. As long as you did not get in his way or did anything to aggravate him, then you would be safe. However, if you _did _foolishly do something to get in his way or anger him, then he was going to kill you. There were no ifs or maybes. It was a simple fact. And right now, these hunters, these humans, had pissed him off. They had attempted to kill not only himself, but also his clan, his younger brother. They had tried to kill Sakura.

That was unforgivable.

And he was supposed to have a pacifistic nature.

It wasn't long until the hunters were all disposed of, making Itachi release an inaudible sigh.

The aftermath of a battle was always the worst part of it. Sure it was an awful feeling knowing that you had to battle to the death, but it was unavoidable. The aftermath of a battle to the death was always painful and often haunting. There was a chilling silence that surrounded him now that the screams of torture and the sounds of their fighting had stopped and for a split second, it felt like time had frozen.

Wind picked up, causing the ashes of the hunters to scatter around the once beautiful clearing and up into the air, swirling around high above their heads in the lightening sky.

Nobody said a word.

"Itachi," Mikoto spoke quietly, "you should go after Sasuke and Sakura–chan. Go to our hideout in the north and your father, Shisui and I will join you once we have cleaned up here. We will discuss what is going to happen when we arrive."

Itachi nodded once and after exchanging a look with Gaara and Temari, the three set off, following after the others.

Shisui watched his cousin fade away into the distance and a frown settled over his features as he turned to face his aunt and uncle. "Sasuke…"

For a moment, pain flitted across Mikoto's features before she turned her head to the side, her eyes narrowing on Fugaku. "Aren't you glad that Sakura–chan is a member of our clan, now? Because of that girl, our son is alive. Remember that and be grateful. Not a lot of people would have done such a thing after being told to leave."

"Shisui," Fugaku ordered, not even sparing his wife a second glance, "use your earth style to return the clearing back to its original state. Once you are done, we will go and hunt before resigning our positions with the police force and making our way towards the hideout. It will be a long journey and we need our strength."

He nodded once. "Our excuse for leaving?"

"A new start." Mikoto answered just as he opened his mouth to reply. "There is a chance that it may look suspicious after what happened between Sakura–chan and the group, but we have little choice. We must leave today no matter what happens. Other hunters will hear about what happened today and will try to find us, so we must lay low for a while."

Nodding once again, Shisui set to his task.

* * *

_It was summer and the weather was beautiful. The sun was shining brightly down upon them and it made the water at the lake appear as though it was sparkling, almost blinding them when it hit a certain angle and reflected up into their eyes. More than once, they had had shield their eyes from the harsh light, but it didn't make the day any less enjoyable._

_It was officially the end of school and she could not be any happier._

"_So," a voice called out, making Sakura lift her sunglasses from her eyes so that she could see the person speaking to her properly, "any plans for the summer?"_

"_Nothing exciting." Sakura groaned, turning onto her stomach so that her back would be exposed to the sun. "What about you, pig?"_

_Ino growled at the nickname, but didn't say anything about it. Unlike what people thought, the names "pig" and "forehead" were not insults. They were not used to belittle each other or to make them feel like dirt. In a way, they were kind of like terms of endearment. If somebody other than them called the girls by those names, however, it was to be taken as an insult. The only person who could get away with calling her a pig, was Sakura, and the only person who could get away with calling Sakura, forehead, was Ino. That was just how things worked and everybody knew it._

"_Oh, the usual." she waved a dismissive hand whilst her other one lifted a cold can out of the cooler they had brought with them. Opening it, she brought it to her lips and let out a gasp of pleasure after the cold, fizzy liquid rushed down her throat, soothing it of its dryness. "You know, parties, beer, guys."_

_Frowning to herself, Sakura looked down at the grass that was sticking out from beneath her soft, crimson towel. Lately, to her, Ino had been acting strangely. The blonde had never been a saint but now it was… Sakura sighed. She didn't know how to explain Ino's recent behaviour and it was hurting her. Of course, their relationship being the way it was, Sakura would never tell Ino about her worry and concerns at how she was acting, but if she continued the way she was right now, Sakura knew she would have to say something._

_In a way it was as though Ino was self–destructing. She would be out all night, drinking and doing who knows what. And Sakura knew that she wasn't the only one who was worried and being hurt by her actions. Ino's parents were just as worried. They had approached her several times asking if she knew if anything had happened that would make Ino act out in such a way. Nothing ever came to mind._

"_Is that all you do nowadays?" Sakura asked teasingly, forcing herself to smirk up at the blonde. "Go to parties and get wasted?"_

_Ino simply shrugged as she leaned back once again, looking up at the cloudless blue sky through her sunglasses. "What else is there to do? And don't give me the same bullshit reply you always give. Seriously, _what is there to do_? Guys see us as something to have fun with. In their eyes, we're nothing more than… sex toys, I guess."_

_When had Ino started thinking that way? "What makes you think that? No guys have–"_

"_You're lying to yourself again, forehead." Ino groaned with annoyance. "Maybe _you _don't see the looks some of the guys in this town send your way, but I have. You just ignore them and keep your head in the books." For a moment, there was silence. "Sakura?"_

"_Hm?" The current conversation was making Sakura's chest ache._

"_Don't ever change. I mean, keep focusing on becoming someone, on doing something with your life. Don't be like me." Sakura's eyes widened as she sat up, looking down at Ino but just as she opened her mouth to argue, the blonde cut her off. "I failed most of my exams, forehead." she smiled bitterly. "But you didn't. I'm going to be working in my parents' flower shop for most likely the rest of my life unless I somehow marry a millionaire! You're going to go places. You're going to blossom into a beautiful flower one day, one that the world will _have_ to take notice of."_

_Sakura swallowed the hard lump in her throat. "And what about you?"_

"_I've already blossomed." Ino shrugged, her eyes still fixed on the sky above her. "And this is as good as it's going to get for me. Don't you get it?" she turned to look at Sakura, looking vaguely annoyed yet serious at the same time. "I'm one of the flowers that blend in, but you stick out. You have potential to grow and overshadow us all."_

"_Ino…"_

"_Don't go crying on me, forehead." the blonde rolled her eyes, the serious mood vanishing. "Hey, what do you think I should wear to that new club opening?"_

* * *

When Sakura woke up, she was biting down on her lower lip and there were tears streaming down her face. She frowned as she wiped at her cheeks. Strange. She hadn't actually cried since the night she had been changed. Actually, Sakura hadn't thought that it had been possible for vampires to cry. Perhaps she had been wrong? It didn't matter because either way, she was currently crying into a tense shoulder, just barely holding back her sobs.

Wait. Shoulder?

Her head snapped up and the blond holding her just about missed being headbutted by Sakura. "Naruto?" Suddenly, her eyes narrowed dangerously and her fists clenched against his shoulders. "_Naruto_!"

He had knocked her out!

"Relax, Sakura–chan." he murmured to her. "We'll be at the hideout soon and Kankuro can feel Gaara following us."

A smile graced her lips. "Itachi must be with him! I'd say they're about…" Her expression became thoughtful for a moment as she focused on Itachi. "Itachi's about four hours behind us, though considering how fast he's moving, he may be here in half that time."

Both Naruto and Kankuro seemed stunned as they stared down at Sakura in shock, obviously not expecting her bond with Itachi to be so strong after only two months. However, instead of commenting on that fact, Naruto merely pushed himself harder. He was determined to make sure that Sakura would be safe and not only her, but also his best friend, Sasuke. To be able to do that, he had to get them to the Uchiha's hideout as soon as possible. Sakura was still weakened (though not as badly as she once had been) and Sasuke was… Well, he was still unconscious and missing an arm.

Damn, it was strange to glance over his shoulder and see Sasuke without an arm. Naruto was even tempted to wait until he woke up to tease him about it and be like, "Hey, where's your arm?" However, considering the fact that he had lost his arm to protect Sakura, Naruto pushed down his childish urges. Just this one time. If Sasuke could do something that was completely out of character, then so could he!

But damn…

The urge to tease him was _so strong_! Not to mention it would _really_ piss Sasuke off!

"Oi, Sakura?"

Sakura looked over Naruto's shoulder at Kankuro, her eyes lingering on Sasuke for a moment with unhidden worry. She really hoped he would be okay. "What's wrong, Kankuro?"

"Nothing, it's just…" he pulled a face for a split second, but she noticed it. He felt awkward. "How come you and Itachi are so close? No disrespect to either of you or anything, but I didn't think that you'd be each other's types."

She felt more than heard Naruto's snort of agreement. Sakura frowned. Itachi had a type? Because she certainly didn't. Hell, she had almost had her first willing kiss several hours ago! "Itachi saved my life." It only just occurred to her that she was no longer adding 'san', to his name. When did that happen? Was it around the time when he started calling her 'hime'? Sakura wasn't sure why, but whenever he did, it always made her feel warm inside. "And he's been there every day for me ever since he changed me. I owe a lot to him."

"So that's why you're staying with the Uchiha clan? Because you feel like you owe Itachi?"

At his question, Sakura's frown deepened. "Not at all!" she snapped before softening her tone somewhat. "I want to stay with them, with Itachi, because they're my family now. I told you all this before. The Uchiha clan aren't my human family, but I feel bonded to them in the same way. Itachi…" Her eyes lowered to the ground behind Naruto, watching as he hopped from one branch to another with little to no effort. "I don't know how to explain it. I just can't leave him. It's impossible for me to think about." A soft smile graced her lips as she pressed her forehead to Naruto's shoulder, her hold tightening on him and her next whisper so quiet, that only he could hear, though he was certain that he wasn't supposed to. "He is my life now."

Well that just wasn't fair, Naruto inwardly grumbled.

His pout was present for the rest of the journey, as was Sakura's tender smile that just couldn't be wiped away.

It was strange. Before Kankuro had asked her, she had never really thought about how much Itachi meant to her. Yes, Sakura had asked herself the odd question every now and then, but it wasn't until now that she really thought about it. Where would she be without Itachi? Dead. She would be dead.

She owed a lot to Itachi, but that wasn't why she was sticking around. Like she had told Kankuro, Sakura just couldn't imagine herself _not_ being by his side. It didn't matter whether it was in a friendly way or an intimate way (although considering the tension between them when he had been about to kiss her, Sakura was leaning towards the latter), because if Itachi needed her, then she would be there. But also, because she needed him, too.

Their bond was so strong now that it was impossible to ignore. No it didn't cause the romantic feelings that were beginning to blossom between them, but it was certainly helping. It was nice being able to feel each other's emotions. That way there were no misunderstandings.

It occurred to her vaguely that she was acting like a child with a crush, but Sakura didn't let that bother her. The warmth she could feel in her chest was pleasant. It was comforting and made her feel like she could never truly be alone.

'_Itachi_…' she thought to herself, closing her eyes to try and hide the fact that she was excited, that she was experiencing something she had never really felt before. It wouldn't do to have Kankuro suddenly looking up at her and asking what the look was for. So, to make sure nobody saw her smile or the soft, tender look in her eyes, she kept her face buried between Naruto's shoulder and neck.

Every part of her wished that it was him who was holding her instead of Naruto and when Sakura realised this, the changes in their bodies became more obvious to her. Naruto wasn't as tall as Itachi. His hips were not as slim. His chest was much too wide. The blond had a more muscular build than Itachi, telling her that he was more strength than speed, but that didn't mean the Uchiha wasn't muscular, either, because he was. She had seen Itachi shirtless before and she would be lying if Sakura said that he wasn't a pleasing sight. Like she had just mentioned, his hips were slim and his chest wasn't too much wider, but at the same time, it was obvious he trained. His body appeared to be built for speed rather than strength, but that hardly mattered to her. He was beautiful to her and had been the second she laid eyes on him.

It startled her just how clearly she could remember Itachi's body and it also startled her that most of her recent memories, most of her previous thoughts, were all centred around him. Was that normal? Probably not. Was she complaining? Not really. Like the warmth in her chest, it was pleasant. Surprising, but definitely pleasant.

"Uh, S–Sakura–chan…"

Pulling her face from his shoulder, Sakura looked up at Naruto. "What's up?"

Around her, Naruto's arms flexed and she faintly heard Kankuro's sharp intake of breath. Was something happening? Were they being followed? Panic was beginning to fill her as she leaned back more fully to get a better look at Naruto.

She wished she hadn't.

His pupils were dilated with excitement, with such a primal, hungry look that it honestly terrified her. It had been the same look those three men who had attacked her had given her. She began to struggle in his arms, desperate to get away before he could hurt her like they did, but Naruto tightened his hold. _Just like they did_.

"Please! J–Just let me go!" Sakura begged, her thrashing increasing. She couldn't go through that. Not again. "Naruto, please. I'll do anything, but not that! _Please_!"

The hungry look in his eyes faded as his eyes snapped to Sakura's, as he came to an abrupt stop with Kankuro a second behind him. Hesitantly, he lowered Sakura to her feet, thankful that he had chosen to land on the ground instead of a branch as she immediately stumbled backwards hurriedly, her eyes wide with fear as she collapsed against a tree, trembling as she slid down it.

"Sakura–chan?"

"Stop." she begged, squeezing her eyes shut as she closed in on herself. "Stop looking at me like that!"

Naruto exchanged wary looks with Kankuro, but immediately realised what was wrong. Considering the look on Kankuro's face…

Oh man.

However, just as he opened his mouth to say something, a tired mumble interrupted him. "Saku–Sakura…" She couldn't hear Sasuke, couldn't see him slowly pulling away from Kankuro, stumbling his way over to her. "Oi… Sakura…"

He wasn't even fully conscious, Naruto realised, feeling numb with shock as he watched Sasuke collapse to the ground beside Sakura.

"Calm… Calm down." His voice was nothing but a murmur, his eyes sliding shut with exhaustion. He couldn't even stop his head from falling forward, landing on her shoulder. Sasuke didn't feel her tense, didn't see her eyes snapping to his face in a mixture of fear, shock and worry. He was too out of it. "Itachi… He'll g–get worried… distracted and think something… something bad has happened."

Always looking out for each other.

It appeared that Sasuke looked out for Itachi just as much as Itachi looked out for him.

She nodded quickly, trying to control the shaking of her limbs as she stared into Sasuke's slightly unfocused eyes. It took a couple of minutes but slowly, unsurely, she began to calm down and as she did, Sasuke once again fell unconscious, the stress of what happened being too much for him to handle.

"Why?" Sakura whispered, only just now daring to look up at Naruto and Kankuro. Their feral looks were no longer in place. Instead there was only shock and uncertainty. "That look… _Why_?"

Naruto frowned, feeling shitty about himself. "I'm sorry, Sakura–chan." he told her quietly. "It was just that… Well, you were giving off this smell…"

Her eyebrows furrowed.

What?

She was giving off a scent? Clearly it had to be different from her usual one, otherwise they wouldn't have been making such a fuss.

"You were aroused, Sakura." Kankuro rolled his eyes. "We may be vampires, but we're still males."

Oh.

_Oh_.

Wait,_ what_?

She had been _aroused_? Wouldn't she have noticed such a thing? What had she been thinking about, again?

Sakura's eyes widened in shock.

She had been thinking about Itachi. A shirtless Itachi.

Oh God…

* * *

Sakura's emotions were beginning to confuse him, Itachi thought as he led the way to the north hideout, Gaara and Temari close behind him. There were a mixture of different emotions, but several of them had stuck out more so than the others.

Panic.

Fear.

Happiness.

_That feeling_.

Arousal.

It took everything in him not to outwardly reveal his shock, but it was even harder to ignore the fact his body was desperate to get to her, to feel her. For a moment, Itachi closed his eyes, willing the feelings away. It was difficult, though. It was like her arousal, her body, was calling to him, telling him to satisfy her. _Oh and he wanted to_. More than anything.

His hands twitched before Itachi clenched them into fists. Never had a woman ever caused such a reaction from him – and Sakura wasn't even here!

However, just as the sweet feeling of her arousal reached him, it wasn't long until she began to feel the other emotions, the panic and fear.

What was happening?

Itachi's eyes widened a fraction as he pushed himself faster. Clearly something that Sakura didn't want, if her emotions were anything to go by. She was terrified! She was trying desperately to do something, but what, Itachi couldn't tell. Was she fighting? Was she trying to get away from someone? Her fear was great, almost knocking the breath out of him, before his body automatically began to speed up. Whatever was happening, Sakura didn't want it. He had to get to her, had to protect her.

"Uchiha."

Not even glancing over his shoulder at Gaara, who had also began to speed up, Itachi asked, "Gaara–kun, is Kankuro–kun fighting?"

"No." Gaara answered but there was a brief pause. "But he is feeling… shocked. And uneasy. He was also feeling aroused, not too long ago."

It surprised the two that Itachi suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. His entire posture was stiff and tense, his fists clenched and his sharingan blazing. "What?"

Gaara was not intimidated in the least, although he knew deep down that he should have been. However, his pride was too great and he refused to show anything other than his usual emotionless mask. "It did not last long. Not even two minutes. After, he was feeling shocked and on edge."

His red and black eyes slipped over in the direction they had been heading. He could feel that the four ahead of them had come to a stop. Well, Itachi could feel that Sakura had stopped moving. She was still scared, but seemed to be slowly calming down.

Considering that the feeling of pleasure had not reached him and the fact that Itachi knew Sakura was not that kind of girl, he knew that she and Kankuro had not been intimate. But then, why had they both been aroused? And what about Naruto? Was he aroused, too? Just what the hell was going on?

Closing his eyes, Itachi took a calming breath. Sakura had his trust. She would not… She wouldn't, what? Betray him? They were not in a relationship, were they? Itachi had never felt such possessiveness over somebody before, though. It was all confusing to him. What was he supposed to do, or think?

Comfort.

Somebody was comforting Sakura now?

"What is Kankuro–kun doing?" His voice was calmer now, but the tension in his body was still obvious.

"He may be my brother, Uchiha, but my bond with him is not as strong as the one you share with Sakura. I can only feel his emotions, as he can feel mine. My bond with Temari is the same. All I can tell is that Kankuro is shocked."

It was dangerous for others to know how much Sakura meant to him, but at that moment in time, Itachi couldn't care less as he set off running again. If she was scared, then he had to hurry up and get to her. Whoever was comforting her, however, had better have an extremely good reason as to why she was in such a state in the first place.

Temari sighed, exchanging a look with her younger brother before they followed him.

* * *

When they finally arrived at the hideout, Itachi could tell that the others were already there. They were all together in one room, most likely waiting for him or another Uchiha to arrive to let them in the rest of the way. Unless you possessed the sharingan, you would not be able to enter and considering Sasuke's wounds and the fact that part of his body was burned to ashes, Itachi knew that his younger brother would not be conscious.

He didn't break stride for a second as he made the first set of seals to take the three of them into what appeared to be nothing more than a giant boulder. However, once they were all inside, they were surprised by the sight before them. No, they were downright stunned.

Somebody had comforted Sakura.

But it had not been Naruto. It had also not been Kankuro.

It had been Sasuke.

They were both asleep (well, Sasuke seemed to be unconscious), but it was their positions that had his breath leaving him and the warmth in his chest increasing. They were leaning against each other, Sakura's head resting against Sasuke's shoulder and the latter's cheek was pressed against the top of her head. They both looked completely at peace and comfortable and Itachi could not remember the last time his brother let his guard down around anyone, let alone somebody he barely even knew. Sakura's hand was fisted in his shirt, like she was making sure that he was there, whilst Sasuke's hand was resting innocently between them, yet close enough that if he needed to check to see if she was there, he would only have to move his hand a couple of inches to the side.

"They wouldn't let us move them." Naruto mumbled awkwardly from his position on the opposite wall. Apparently he and Kankuro had decided to take watch, even though they didn't have much of a choice. "I mean, we tried, but it would bring Sasuke out of unconsciousness and Kankuro said that it'd be best to let him sleep through the worst of the pain. Whenever we tried to move Sakura–chan away… She kept going on about having to look after him for you."

"Kept mumbling that he's still 'the boy from his memories' or something." Kankuro told the three as they approached them and as they got closer, he stood up and looked at his brother and Itachi awkwardly. He had already realised that they would have felt everything. Yes, sometimes it was possible to block out the person's feelings, but considering the fact that they had to stay connected somehow… "Uh, I'm guessing you felt…"

Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction. "We did. What happened?"

His clipped tone made Naruto also stand up, made him watch the older Uchiha warily. "Look, we don't know what happened, but one minute, she's giving off this scent and it was so hard to ignore! And then the next, she's panicking and trying to get away from us! She wouldn't listen to us when we tried to calm her down and only Sasuke could calm her down."

So it had been his little brother who comforted Sakura. Strange, yet Itachi could see such a thing happening.

"Why are you surprised that she started panicking, you perverts?" Temari demanded, glancing over to make sure that Sakura was still sleeping. She was, although her eyebrows were now knitting together. "Did she say anything to you guys?"

"She kept telling us to stop looking at her like we were."

It didn't take a genius to know how the were looking at her.

It also didn't take a genius to know that Sasuke _wouldn't_ have looked at her in such a way for several different reasons, so it had been easy for him to comfort her, to calm her down.

"And what does that make you think?" she drawled before rolling her eyes. "She's a victim of abuse and it didn't happen all too long ago, meaning she most likely hasn't engaged in anything sexual since then." Her eyes glided over to Itachi's. "Am I right?" He nodded once. "Since nothing sexual has been happening since she was attacked, Sakura won't be used to having such attention, or if she is, then she won't like it. In my opinion, Sakura doesn't seem like the type of girl who is used to sexual attention, so I can understand why your looks frightened her."

They didn't only frighten her, they had petrified her.

Naruto lowered his eyes to the ground. "I know… But that smell… I don't know how the hell you can ignore something like that, Itachi."

He blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Her arousal." the blond muttered awkwardly, scratching his cheek. "It was so hard to ignore! Like it was soaking right through my pores and into my head instead of just being inhaled! How do you do it?"

Sakura had never been aroused around him, that was why. However admitting such a thing would… It would, what?

When only silence answered him, Naruto looked up at Itachi. "Well since she was talking about _you_ and probably thinking about you, too, then you would obviously have to deal with it, right?"

This was getting too personal for him. Naruto should not be speaking about Sakura in such a way, but at the same time, Itachi wanted to hear more. The thoughts she had been having of him aroused her? That had never happened before. The warmth had been there, but not arousal. Was that because of their almost–kiss not too long ago?

"Maybe it will be best if we don't continue with this conversation." Gaara spoke up. "Naruto, what happens between Itachi and Sakura is none of our concern."

"But–"

"No."

Naruto lowered his head, pouting once more. However, just as he was about to say something, a quiet, half–asleep voice spoke up.

"Itachi?"

Hearing her voice seemed to relax him as he turned to face her, his back to the others and once they were no longer able to see his expression, he allowed his eyes to soften, for a tender smile to curve his lips.

"You're back!"

Her movements were ungraceful, screaming her exhaustion, but that did not stop Sakura from lunging forward, from practically tackling Itachi into a tight embrace. She buried her face into his chest, her arms holding him against her with such strength that it was as though she was terrified of them being separated again. Itachi didn't complain, although he would have preferred it if the others were not watching them.

With his sharingan still activated, Itachi glanced over at the real entrance to the hideout. Behind the door would be many traps that only those with the sharingan would be able to avoid, but since he could warn the others of those traps and would be leading them all into the hideout, it didn't really matter.

"You should rest, Sakura." he murmured to her as he gently unwound her arms from around his waist. Apparently she understood clearly, as she nodded once with a small smile. "Come."

Due to needing his hands free, Itachi ordered Naruto to carry Sasuke and for Gaara to protect Sakura just in case any weapons or jutsu ricocheted off the stone walls and hit her. The redhead didn't seem too bothered by it and merely muttered for her to stay close behind him, as his sand would automatically guard him, therefore, it would also shield her.

When Sakura found out what sort of traps had been set, she felt her dead heart threatening to jump start and burst straight out of her chest. Fear and adrenaline shot through her veins, scorching her and making it impossible to keep still, to stop the trembling of her hands. Halfway through the traps, she had even latched onto Gaara, but thankfully he didn't say a word about it or react to her holding onto him. Sure it was a little difficult with somebody clinging to your arm, shaking against you, but he managed to ignore it. Gaara couldn't deny that he was feeling just as anxious as Sakura was and in reaction to his unease, his sand began to swirl around restlessly in his gourd. It took a lot to keep it from lashing out.

There were many types of traps and jutsu, but they mostly seemed to centre around lightning, wind and fire. The latter was the one she was most terrified of. After seeing what happened to Sasuke, Sakura couldn't stand to watch Itachi either disarming the traps or setting them off. He was quick to put out the fires, to counter the wind and the lightning, but it still terrified her. If it was not for his sharingan, Sakura seriously doubted that he would have been able to counter them. They were so fast! Luckily, so was Itachi.

It seemed like the dark, cold corridor went on for hours until they finally got through all the traps and reached a door.

Itachi silently went through several seals, his hands moving way too fast for her to keep up with them, before the door was sliding open, scraping against the ground as it slowly moved. The sound grated at her ears, making her tense and shudder and she had to refrain from lifting her hands to her ears. The others seemed to feel her pain, though, as Naruto cringed and pressed one of his ears into Sasuke's shoulder, his free hand quickly slapping over his other ear. Temari winced, as did Kankuro. The only ones who didn't show an outward reaction (not that it really surprised her) were Gaara and Itachi.

Suddenly, however, the latter tensed, his sharingan glaring at the archway. Despite this, it was Naruto who spoke as he sniffed the air. "Somebody is here."

* * *

**A/N - Wonder who's already at the hideout, considering the rest of the Uchiha clan are still clearing things up ;-)**

**Sorry it's taken so long to update! I've had (and still have) thirteen assignments to complete and hand in, in only a week. Safe to say that it's been stressful. Despite still being ill, I've had to have sleepless nights and working on the assignments every chance I got - my eyes are killing now because of it as they're all online/Google Docs. I can't have any more time off, either, because I need my attendance near-perfect if I want them to keep me on another two years to do my a-levels. So yeah, I'm sorry that I haven't updated! My mum's thinking of complaining to the college about all the stress it's putting on me, but meh. There's no point. I'm obviously not the only one receiving ridiculous amounts of assignments (some have even more than I do) and if I pass everything and get to go on to doing something I actually want to do as a result? Then I'll do it. It simply means I won't have the time to be updating every week like I usually do.**

**So yeah, from now on I'll be updating whenever I can (still on Wednesdays and if not, then at the weekend).**


	9. Long Time No See

**Chapter 8 – Long Time No See**

Itachi silently went through several seals, his hands moving way too fast for her to keep up with them, before the door was sliding open, scraping against the ground as it slowly moved. The sound grated at her ears, making her tense and shudder and she had to refrain from lifting her hands to her ears. The others seemed to feel her pain, though, as Naruto cringed and pressed one of his ears into Sasuke's shoulder, his free hand quickly slapping over his other ear. Temari winced, as did Kankuro. The only ones who didn't show any outward reactions (not that it really surprised her) were Gaara and Itachi.

Suddenly, however, the latter tensed, his sharingan glaring at the archway. Despite this, it was Naruto who spoke as he sniffed the air. "Somebody is here."

"Three of them. All vampires." Gaara muttered, causing Sakura to glance up at him in surprise. She couldn't sense anyone! Realising that he may possibly need both of his hands free, Sakura let go of Gaara and stepped behind him at his silent order. "One female, two males. One is familiar, but I cannot think of who it could possibly be. Do you recognise them, Itachi?"

"They're masking their scent, but I do recognise one of them." Itachi stated as he stepped forward. The moment he did, however, Sakura shot forward, swerving through their line so that she was behind Itachi. If he needed to fight, she wanted to help. She wanted to be by his side. "Sakura–"

"Let me." There was a silent beg in her voice, one that didn't go unnoticed by Itachi when he looked down at her. "It's going to drive me crazy being all the way back there if something happens."

It really was. Just going through the traps had almost driven her insane.

He nodded once. "Stay behind me."

At his order, Sakura took a step back so that he would have space and shuffled behind him.

It was warm as they entered the hideout – nothing like the entrance and the hallway filled with traps! The room was a comfortable size, perhaps the same size as the living room in her parents' home and it strangely gave her a homely feeling. It was comforting, in a way. There were no windows at all, but due to the fact that they were underground, it wasn't too surprising. Mikoto's work was obvious in the room as she had obviously done her best to make the hideout more cosy.

The wooden flooring beneath their feet creaked as they stepped further into the room and they all knew that that was partly the reason why Mikoto had put it down. Not only was it more pleasant to look at than hard, cold stone, but it also warned them if somebody managed to enter the hideout undetected. The only thing that had Sakura feeling confused was the fact that there was a fireplace. Wouldn't that give away their positions? Wouldn't the smoke go straight up the chimney and alert others? It was nice to see one, though.

In front of the fireplace was a rug that looked like heaven for your feet. It was thick and shaggy and looked like it was very, very soft. It matched the walls in colour, both the exact shade as the sharingan. Was that to signify that this hideout belonged to the Uchiha clan? Sakura inwardly nodded as her eyes moved along the walls, taking in the Uchiha emblem she had seen on the back of Sasuke's shirts as well as on Mikoto's necklace. The fan was like a border around the room and using a black background throughout, Mikoto had stopped the red of the emblem from blending in or clashing with the crimson of the walls. There were also several doors around the room, all leading to places she did not know.

The hideout was rustic, traditional. Opposite the fireplace was a black sofa and on each of its sides, was another (three altogether). They created a square formation around the rug if you included the fireplace.

It was as her eyes fell on the sofas, however, that she realised they were definitely not alone in the room.

There was a man sitting on it, leaning back casually and reading an orange book. He had silver–grey hair that fell over his left eye, giving him a rugged look that made it appear as though he had only just gotten out of bed, yet it was strangely sexy, too. Sakura blinked, feeling shocked. Had she seriously just thought that this man was sexy? Half of his face was covered by some sort of mask, so how could she even label him as that? Then again, she had thought that the other male vampires she had met were all attractive in their own way, too (including Naruto). Maybe it was just a vampire thing? It had to be, as she had yet to meet an unattractive vampire.

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning wildly. "It's just Kakashi–sensei! I thought I recognised that old book smell."

The man, now known as Kakashi, glanced up from his book and gave a wave, his one visible eye creasing. "Yo!"

Itachi didn't lower his guard for a moment, but he did relax slightly. "Who else is with you, Kakashi–san?"

Kakashi sighed and closed his book as he stood up and pocketed it. Now that he was turned in their direction completely, Sakura noticed how there was a piece of material over his left eye and under his hair that veiled it. Why? He was also tall, lean. In a way, he was built like Itachi – obviously for speed rather than strength.

"It's been a while since I last saw you all." he smiled, but tilted his head to the side curiously as he noticed Sakura. "I know that I've never seen _you_ before."

She knew that, had she still been human, Sakura would have blushed. Instead she settled on smiling sheepishly. "My name's Sakura."

"It suits you." he told her before turning to face Itachi. "Your question," Kakashi sighed and scratched his masked cheek, "it's difficult to explain."

"Where are they?" Itachi's voice was firmer as the others began to step into the room and Sakura didn't fail to notice how Kakashi's eye widened at the sight of Sasuke as he was lowered onto the sofa by Naruto.

"What happened to Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, his single eye filled with disbelief. It was as though he couldn't believe somebody had managed to harm the younger Uchiha in such a way.

"Do not avoid my question, Kakashi–san. You are trespassing on Uchiha property. Had it been my father who stumbled upon you–"

"If this is Uchiha property, which I know it is, then he's not trespassing."

The new voice had Sakura tensing, had her shifting closer to Itachi and grabbing his arm. There was something dark about his voice and it sent shivers up her spine. Something flashed in Kakashi's eye the moment she reached out for Itachi, but her eyes weren't on him. They were on the two new additions to the room.

Like Gaara had sensed, one was female whilst the other was male. It was obviously the male who had spoken and the sight of him had her breath leaving her. Unlike other males she had seen, this male was badly scarred all down his right side but still attractive and, like Kakashi, he had a piece of material covering his left eye. His other, was a sharingan.

He was an Uchiha. But apparently, he was not one that anyone other than Itachi recognised, as they all tensed, some more visibly than others.

"Obito–san." Itachi's voice was blank and emotionless, but on the inside, Sakura could feel his shock. "You are supposed to be dead."

Surprisingly, Obito grinned at Itachi. The expression seemed so weird because of how gravelly and dark his voice sounded. "I got lucky, I guess." However, his grin faded. "Sort of. I don't know what happened. One moment I'm being crushed by boulders and then the next, I wake up and I'm in this room with some old geezer who's claiming to be none other than Uchiha Madara!" Itachi's eyes widened a fraction. "I know, right? I didn't believe him for a second because this guy, well, he was old and could barely even move and… and he stunk like you wouldn't even believe!"

"Obito." Kakashi rolled his eye. "Get on with the story."

"Shut up, Kakashi!" he snapped and right in that split second, Sakura was reminded so much of Naruto. "Anyway," Obito continued once he calmed down, "he started telling me that he was healing my wounds and that together we were going to change the world or some shit like that. I couldn't move for a while, so I had no choice but to listen to his crazy stories and allow him to heal me. It was around seven years later when he told me I was now 'grown enough' and suddenly slamming this needle into me! I thought the geezer was nuts, just stabbing me like that, but the pain was too much and I couldn't focus on anything else and I eventually passed out. When I woke up again, Madara was sat in this giant chair thing, watching me. It was so awkward! And then he told me that Rin and Kakashi were in trouble, that they had been made to join another war and fight."

A look of pain flashed across Obito's features as he glanced at the female by his side. She was beautiful, what with her short, chestnut brown hair and her warm chocolate coloured eyes. There were strange purple markings on her cheeks, but Sakura didn't think they lessened her beauty. In fact, it sort of reminded her of Kankuro's face paint.

"I made it just in time to save Rin." Obito told them all and Sakura noticed out of the corner of her eye how Kakashi lowered his gaze to the floor. "I swear, if I wasn't so in love with her, I would've killed her myself instead of saving her. But… I couldn't. It was like my body moved by itself as I caught her. Her human scent to me had been _intoxicating_." Itachi was suddenly listening much more intensely. "I didn't even need to look at her to feel this… this warmth!" His single eye was filled with pain again as he looked at her. "That warmth turned into anger, though, when she tried to end her own life to save Kakashi's."

It was obvious that neither he nor Kakashi had completely forgiven her for such a thing, although Sakura thought that it was extremely courageous of her to do something like that. "I changed her, but at the same time, I didn't. I wasn't in control of my actions. It had been her muttering my name that made my body move by itself, made me end her life by giving her a new one." His eyes slipped over to Kakashi. "I kind of enjoyed turning _him_, though. I never made him scream in pain before and after stabbing Rin, even if she did throw herself onto the blade, I thought that he deserved it."

Okay. So Sakura could now understand why neither man could forgive Rin. Hell, Sakura wouldn't have been able to forgive her either! To watch your friend give their life for you was one thing, but ending their own life with your blade?

"I told them to stay hidden for a while, just until I returned. When I went back to Madara, I realised that he had planned on me seeing it all, but hadn't expected for me to be so fast that I could stop her death. He underestimated my feelings for Rin. So I played along for a while, listening to his crazy stories, allowing him to show me genjutsu. It makes me feel sick admitting it, but I know that if Rin had died, I would have agreed with his plans of casting an eternal jutsu over the entire planet. However, once he entrusted everything to me and killed himself, believing that I would revive him when the time was right, because he wanted to be in his prime again or something, I left and never looked back."

The others seemed wary to believe his story.

"How long ago was that?" Sakura asked softly and her hold on Itachi's hand tightened ever so slightly when Obito's single, red eye flashed over to hers.

There was something in his eye as he looked at her, as he took in her features. Before she could ask him why he was looking at her in such a way, however, he glanced at the female by his side. "You have the same look in your eyes." he murmured and then looked back up with a smile. "I would say it was about… a hundred years ago now. Maybe longer. We don't really keep track of time."

Her lips parted and her eyes widened. One hundred years ago? That… That was crazy!

"Why have you never sought us out?" Itachi asked.

Obito shrugged. "You were gone long before my time, so I had no idea who you truly were or how to find you. Of course I heard things about our clan, but not enough to make me want to find you guys or reveal myself to you. You see, there was a difference between our clans, Itachi. The clan _you _were a member of whilst alive was united. You all stuck together. In _my_ clan, I was an outcast. In their eyes, I was too kindhearted and weak, meaning I was not cut out to be a warrior like the others. That was when I met my team, Rin and Kakashi. We studied under your father, Naruto." The blond's eyes widened, as did many others'. "He was a great sensei and would have been an even better father. When we learned of his death, as well as your mother's, we contacted Jiraiya–sama, but we couldn't stick around as that was when we were sent into the field, just before I died. Well, supposedly died. I believe that was also when you turned up with your clan, Itachi." His eye saddened for a moment. "I deeply regret that you have to be a part of this life, Naruto, because we were not capable of protecting you. Your father would not have wanted this for you."

"What about my mother?" Naruto asked hesitantly after a moment, trying to ignore the pain in his chest at Obito's words. "Did you meet her?"

Rin smiled brightly and nodded. "Of course we met Kushina–san! She was beautiful, Naruto–kun and they would both be so proud of you."

This seemed to make him happy as he smiled down at the ground before looking back up. "Were they happy?"

"One of the happiest couples I've ever met." Rin told him honestly, but her smile turned into a frown as she glanced over at Kakashi. "I can't believe you didn't tell him that his father was your sensei!" Kakashi didn't answer. Turning back to the group, she sighed. "Obito and I tried tracking the man who assassinated Minato–sensei and Kushina–san once we were all somewhat used to this life, but we followed a false lead and ended up on the other side of the planet. It was around that time when Kakashi joined us once again after being your sensei for a couple of years and not long after, we were informed that you had been changed, Naruto–kun, that the man had returned and attempted to kill you."

He nodded. "Yeah, if it wasn't for ero–sennin, then I would be dead."

Laughter burst out of Obito. "Ero–sennin? That's perfect for Jiraiya–sama!"

"I know, right?" Naruto exclaimed. "He gets mad whenever I call him it, though! He says it 'puts off the ladies'."

Itachi ignored their childish talk as he watched Obito for a moment. "If you dislike our clan, why are you staying in one of our hideouts, knowing that there is a risk of us meeting?"

"Like I said, our clans are – _were_ – different. I know that, despite hardly knowing you, I can somewhat trust you or Shisui." There was silence for a moment and during that silence, the air grew thicker and deadlier, making Sakura feel as though she was suffocating. "We were attacked, which is our reason why we are hiding out here."

Sitting beside Sasuke, Naruto glanced down at the unconscious Uchiha. His attention span had always been short and he could feel his mind wandering, wondering what Sasuke would do if he did something whilst he was sleeping. Perhaps he should cut his hair? No. Sasuke would murder him for that. It wasn't that he was vain, it was just that, as vampires, all body hair stopped growing – including the hair on their heads (well, it grew about an inch a year, but that was all). If he messed up Sasuke's hair and the Uchiha had to shave it all off… Damn. His life would be over before he even realised it. Sasuke would look so weird with a bald head!

What if he…

He grinned and stood back up, ignoring how quite a few eyes were on him as he looked around the room before moving over to one of the cabinets, his grin widening as he found what he was looking for.

Keeping an eye on the blond out of the corner of his eyes, Itachi asked, "Your enemy?"

"Somebody who wanted my sharingan – both of them. But not nearly as much as he wants Shisui's or yours."

Sakura frowned in confusion and noticing it, Rin smiled. "Obito gave his left eye to Kakashi after he awakened the sharingan and Kakashi lost his eye during battle. At the time, Obito had believed that he was dying, so as a parting gift, he left Kakashi with something that shouldn't even be possible for humans to possess."

"That's quite a gift." Sakura commented in awe, looking between Obito and Kakashi. "But I thought only an Uchiha can possess the sharingan?"

"Oh I've done so much research!" Rin told her enthusiastically. "Since Obito gave Kakashi the sharingan whilst it was still activated, it somehow stayed that way. However, it's a continuous drain on his chakra, which is why Kakashi keeps his left eye covered."

And Obito kept his covered because he didn't even have an eye, Sakura realised. Just as she was about to say something, though, snickering caught her ears and her eyes narrowed, turning to face Naruto. What she saw had her eyes widening and her mouth falling open in shock before it slammed shut. "_Naruto_!" she growled, stomping forward and yanking him away from Sasuke by the back of his shirt, ignoring his startled squawk as she threw him to the ground. "Leave Sasuke alone!"

Despite saying this, she couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Sasuke's face. Naruto had drawn whiskers on the Uchiha's face (just like his) and then wrote 'bastard' on his forehead, pushing his bangs back so that they could all see it.

"He's going to kill you for that." Kakashi muttered with a shake of his head.

From the age of twelve to fifteen, Kakashi had been Naruto's sensei and one of his guards. He taught him whatever he could, but it had been difficult as Naruto hadn't been allowed to leave his home or the fields that had surrounded it. The elders had wanted to keep him separated from the public, hoping that it would keep him safe. Kakashi did his best to teach the blond about bonds, but it wasn't until the Uchiha clan showed up and Itachi brought Sasuke with him that Naruto truly discovered what they meant. Also, believing that Itachi would be able to keep Naruto safe after several months of working together, Kakashi left to catch up with Rin and Obito. Two months later, Naruto had been the target of an assassination on a night when Itachi had not been on duty. Thankfully, Obito's warning reached Jiraiya in time for the white haired man to save the boy.

"What's he going to do without his arm?" Naruto snickered. "He won't be able to catch me!"

"He lost his arm, Naruto, not his legs." Sakura hissed at him, angered that he was trying to make a joke out of Sasuke's act of bravery. "And if it wasn't for Sasuke, we both would have died!"

"What?" Kakashi sounded utterly shocked. "Who targeted him?"

Sighing dejectedly, Naruto apologized to an angry Sakura (the sight making Obito and Kankuro smirk with amusement) whilst Itachi spoke. "Hunters. Not only did they target Sasuke, but our entire clan as well as the Sabaku clan and Naruto." The news stunned Obito, Rin and Kakashi, as the three stared at them all with wide, disbelieving eyes. It wasn't every day that hunters acted so recklessly by taking on such powerful clans, after all. "Sakura was unable to battle due to exhaustion from an earlier battle and I gave Sasuke the task of protecting her, since she was in that state because of him." Unlike earlier, there was no anger within Itachi, making Sakura inwardly sigh with relief as she made her way back over to him. "He took an attack meant to end both his and Sakura's lives, to protect her. However, Sakura removed his arm before the fire could spread and envelope him."

"_Sasuke_ did that?" Obito asked with a wide eye. "I mean, I've heard stories about you all and apparently–"

"You should not believe everything you hear, Obito–san." There was a serious, cold warning tone to Itachi's voice, one that had them all tensing. Before the conversation could go any further, he changed the subject. "Who was targeting your sharingan?"

"Orochimaru."

The earlier tension was nothing compared to this new one.

"When was this?" Gaara asked as he pushed away from the wall and stepped forward. His gourd was resting against the same wall and since the room wasn't too large and he didn't walk too far from it, he left it there. "Recently?"

Kakashi nodded once, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Yes. I'd say about two weeks ago. We managed to get him off our trail so you don't need to worry about him turning up here."

Shaking his head with a sigh, Itachi gave the three a blank look. "I am not worried about Orochimaru appearing. However, you are all foolish to believe that you have managed to lose him. If anything, Orochimaru will be staying away until his next, best opportunity arises. Now that there will be seven who possess the sharingan here, I doubt that he will attack again. He will wait for us all to be split up."

"He will wait for _you_ to be away from Sasuke, you mean." Kakashi stated.

Itachi showed no outward reaction. Inside, however, Sakura could feel his surprise. "Indeed. If he is given the chance, I believe Orochimaru will attack Sasuke again. But unlike the last time, Sasuke will be prepared and it won't be as easy."

There was a feral grin on Naruto's face as the blond flopped down beside the unconscious Uchiha. "You hear that, Sasuke?" he teased, nudging Sasuke in the side. "He's actually complimenting you and you're not even conscious to hear it and hold it against him!"

He was ignored by Itachi, who continued to watch Kakashi silently, blankly. It was beginning to unnerve Sakura, if she was being completely honest. "My father will be arriving tonight with my mother and Shisui. Tell him what happened and he will decide if you can continue to stay here." It was his decision because he was head of their clan.

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared up at Itachi in shock. Would he seriously kick them out to face Orochimaru alone? From what she had learned, he was an immortal, powerful witch! Sending the three of them on their way would be like sending them to their deaths. How could he do that?

"They are not as weak as you believe, Sakura." Itachi didn't even glance at her as he spoke. "You are still new to this life and you have not been given the chance to hear of or meet others of our kind, so you have not heard of these three or the powers they possess." Granted, Itachi had only heard of Kakashi – the other two were supposed to be dead. "There is a reason why they have survived this long – remember that."

Her mouth dropped open in shock and the others seemed just as stunned. "Itachi… Did you just _hear my thoughts_?" she all but shrieked, feeling horrified.

Obito blinked in surprise a couple of times, exchanging a look with Rin before he spoke up. "How strong is your bond?"

"That is none of your concern."

"Fine." Obito shrugged, looking strangely like he was sulking. "I was just going to tell you that my bond with Rin is just as strong. Like between you both just now, there are times when we can read each other's thoughts. Although," his face scrunched up for a moment like he was thinking hard, "that's only when things are serious, or when our emotions are extremely powerful, or when we're stressed. Or–"

"We get it." Temari sighed with annoyance. "Damn it. One Naruto is enough!"

Kakashi couldn't help but smirk. The amount of times that he had thought 'one Obito is enough' whilst looking after Naruto was ridiculous.

"Whatever!" The scarred Uchiha rolled his eye. "Look, don't be confused or anything about the bond and don't try to deny it, either. By around the second or third month of changing Rin, because we spent all our time together, our bond continued to grow stronger. It's natural! Well, sort of." He scratched the side of his head sheepishly. "It's kind of strange having to tell you these things. The bond is hard to explain, after all."

Indeed it was. However, Itachi had no intention of speaking about such things to anyone other than Sakura. To do so would feel like an invasion of his, of _their_, privacy. "Which rooms are already taken?"

Once it was sorted out who would take which rooms, they all went into their own rooms. Unlike the home she had been staying at for the past couple of months, the hideout was small and didn't have very many bedrooms. There were only five bedrooms and there were thirteen of them. Shisui, Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi would be sharing one room (Sakura wished Kakashi the best of luck because sometimes, Shisui could be just as bad as Naruto and it was more often than not that a fight would break out between Naruto and Sasuke), the Sabaku clan would be sharing another. Then, there were the couples. Even though she and Itachi weren't together that way, they still wanted their privacy.

The best part about the bedrooms? They were soundproof. Sakura was so very glad for that. Not because she expected anything to happen between them, because she honestly didn't know if she would be ready for something like that. No, it was because something may happen between Rin and Obito, or Mikoto and Fugaku. Oh God just the thought made her uncomfortable. It was why Kakashi was sharing a room with the others instead of his own clan.

All of the rooms were basic and rather small, but Sakura didn't complain. Her bedroom back at home had been around the same size. The bed they would be sharing was twin–sized, though considering that Sakura liked to be close to Itachi as she slept, it surely wouldn't be a problem. The bed frame matched the wardrobe, desk and chair – all were made of the same dark wood. There was a small love seat against the same wall as the door. Again, there were no windows.

She placed her bag down on the bed and felt the cool and soft cotton sheets beneath her fingers. Apparently Mikoto hadn't spent as long designing the bedrooms as she did the main room, because it was rather plain and nothing spectacular. It didn't matter to her. What mattered was that Itachi was safe. They would all be safe whilst they stayed here.

Like in the main room, their bedroom was lit by candles and Sakura found that she was having a hard time focusing on anything other than how so very beautiful Itachi looked in candlelight. It seemed to bring out his best features, making his eyes appear warmer, or was that because he was no longer hiding his emotions? Probably. The moment they were alone, he had allowed his expression to soften, for his guards to lower slightly. No, there wasn't a specific emotion on his face, but he was no longer blank, either. It was hard to explain.

There were no questions such as "how are you feeling" or "are you okay" because they were not needed. They could feel each other's emotions. Itachi could feel that Sakura was exhausted and not only physically. After the day she had had, he couldn't blame her for feeling such a way. His first battle to the death had unsettled him greatly, although he never allowed his unease and dislike to show. Instead, Itachi did what he had to, to protect his clan.

"Will Sasuke be okay?" Sakura asked after a couple moments of silence, her voice sounding vulnerable and soft. "I mean, h–he's been unconscious for a while now and–"

"He will be fine, hime. What Sasuke needs now is rest and time to recuperate. The more he feeds, the quicker the regeneration will be complete, but at the moment, he is in no state to go by himself. Not with Orochimaru hanging around, at least."

Just the thought of the man being close by caused Sakura to shiver – and she hadn't even had the displeasure of meeting him yet! "Do you really think he's nearby?"

"There is a possibility of it, yes." Itachi told her honestly. "However if he attempts to approach us, one of us will know."

There was no doubt in her mind that he was telling the truth. Naruto and Gaara both seemed to have much more animalistic senses than the rest of them, which was how they had caught her scent and picked up her trail so easily a couple of months ago. Also, Gaara could use a certain technique that changed part of his sand into an eyeball, allowing him to spy on people or prey. He had showed her the technique one time when they had been hunting.

It was more or less silent whilst Sakura unpacked a few of her things to try and make the room more comfortable. It wasn't that it wasn't, it was just that… Well, she had a strange sense of homesickness.

She wanted to be by the lake again, wanted to be held by Itachi as they relaxed and watched the stars. That was their place. A thought hit her, making Sakura feel saddened. It was more than likely that they would never return to that lake now and even if they could, would it be okay? Had it been damaged during the battle? Sure, it was three or four miles away from the clearing where the battle had commenced, but what if it had moved through the forest? Oh, she really hoped that the lake hadn't been destroyed. She loved it there.

"Sakura?" It surprised her that Itachi was suddenly by her side, his hand gently cradling her face. "Is something wrong?"

"I just…" she shook her head, looking down at the ground. "I'm going to miss our lake, that's all."

Yes, Itachi was going to miss it there, too. "We can return there one day, just not any time soon. Until then, the certain area where we enjoyed sitting, should remain untouched, just like every other time my clan and I returned to Konoha."

Looking up at him, Sakura couldn't help but frown as she repeated his words in her head a couple of times to make sure she had not heard him wrong. Itachi had definitely just said returned, hadn't he? She wasn't hearing things? "Returned? As in, you've stayed in Konoha more than once?"

"Of course." he murmured and to her at that moment in time, his voice was like silk, caressing her ears softly with it. "We are originally from Konoha. After being changed, we travelled a lot, only returning to Konoha when our clan was close to dying out just in case somebody recognised us – my father was once patriarch, after all. We always spend as much time as we can in one place before going to the next, always changing things up so that we're not predictable."

"And how long do you stay in one place for?" There was a slight lilt to her voice and it didn't take much to notice the look in her eye.

Sakura had been trying to guess his age for over two whole months now and still, she was nowhere close. Her answer that was closest to his real age, had been said jokingly, like she hadn't meant it seriously. If Sakura found out how old he really was, would she be disgusted? Sure, Itachi knew that he certainly didn't look his age and his energy was superb for someone his age (though the latter hardly counted since he was a supernatural being), but he was a haunted man. The past several hundred years had been difficult and torturous.

That was partly why Itachi was so protective or possessive of Sakura – however you wished to view his behaviour towards her. She was the first truly innocent creature he had laid his eyes on in a long time. Itachi would do anything, _give anything_, to make sure that she never lost that innocence. It was bad enough that those men had abused her. It was bad enough that his foolish little brother had pushed her into slaughtering said men. Little by little, that innocence was disappearing and Itachi had no idea how to save it.

"A while." he answered cryptically.

"Itachi!" she whined in complaint. "Why won't you tell me how old you are?"

"Why do you want to know so badly?"

"Why _don't_ you want me to know?"

"Why would I?"

"Will you stop answering a question with a question?"

"Why should I?"

It seemed he was in a playful mood right at that moment in time and the thought had Sakura biting back a grin. No it wasn't rare for Itachi to be in a good mood with her or even playful, but after today, she had thought that he would be deadly serious. Was he trying to take her mind off of what had happened? Either way, it was working, even if that hadn't been his goal.

She knew that, if the others saw or heard him acting in such a way, they would be shocked. Hell, if this was two months ago, Sakura would have been shocked, too! Itachi just didn't seem like the type of guy who was playful. He was a serious person (well, vampire). Around her, however, Itachi acted so differently than how he did with his family.

"Why _shouldn't_ you?"

"It is amusing watching you get so wound up." Itachi answered without missing a beat, a soft smirk on his lips.

It really was an amusing sight. Right at that moment in time, Sakura's eyes were flashing with annoyance and amusement, her lips were pursed, her fists were clenching and unclenching. Had it always been so easy to get on her nerves? Since Itachi hadn't known her whilst she was human, he wasn't so sure. Something in his mind was nagging at him, however, that yes. Yes she had always been so easy to irritate.

She opened her mouth, about to yell at him or snap at him (she hadn't even decided what she wanted to say yet), when Itachi's head turned in the direction of the door, his sharingan activating for a couple of moments before his usual dark eyes returned. "It seems they have finally caught up. The traps are being set off."

Finally? Sakura was surprised that they were so fast! Itachi had told her that they would have to get rid of any evidence of their being there, quit their jobs and _then_ leave. And it had only been an hour since they all entered the hideout (and met Obito, Kakashi and Rin). How long had it taken her, Kankuro, Naruto and Sasuke to get here? No. That wasn't a fair comparison. They had had to stop once or twice and two of them had been incapable of moving by themselves. So what about Itachi and the Sabaku clan?

Inwardly groaning, Sakura followed Itachi out of their bedroom. Why did it even matter how long it took them? The main thing was that they were all here now and they were safe.

As they stepped into the main room, they found that Obito, Kakashi and Rin were already there. Itachi had thought it best if the others stayed out of it, but since the door was open a crack, Sakura was willing to bet that Naruto was listening in. That idiot! Did he really think that Itachi wouldn't notice such a thing? That had been the first place he looked at when they entered the main room!

He sighed.

"Naruto–kun," he told the blond and not for the first time, either, "it is impolite to eavesdrop."

Sheepish chuckles reached their ears not long after. "I want to know what's happening!"

"You will be informed if it concerns you." Itachi said, but realising a moment later that Naruto wouldn't go away, he added, "You must watch Sasuke in case of any change. If my brother wakes up and hears that we are discussing Orochimaru, there is no doubt in my mind that he will set out looking for him."

"Shit!" Naruto cursed. "I forgot! Right. I'm on it! I won't let that bastard out of the room if he wakes up. I'll rip his other arm off and beat him with it if I have to!"

And then the door slammed shut.

Sakura growled with annoyance. "Why is he so obsessed with Sasuke's arms?"

As Obito let out a low, throaty laugh, Kakashi shook his head and sighed. "It is best not to try and understand Naruto, Sakura. It will only give you a headache."

That was true, but still. Naruto's obsession with the fact Sasuke now only had one arm was strange. Then again, as an image of Naruto beating Sasuke with his own arm entered her mind, Sakura found it difficult to keep a straight face. Oh she could just imagine the look on Sasuke's face if suddenly, Naruto was ripping his arm off and hitting him with it!

Itachi sent her a questioning look, obviously feeling her trying to suppress the urge to burst into laughter, but she found that she couldn't look at him. No, Sasuke and Itachi didn't look that similar, but there were still similarities there. Her eyes met his, just as she told herself not to, and a small laugh escaped her.

Obito started laughing even harder, ignoring the sharp look Kakashi sent his way.

"What's so funny?" Rin asked with a small, shy smile on her lips as she looked between Obito and Sakura.

"Just…" Sakura covered her mouth, trying to stop her laughter.

"The thought of Naruto…" Obito shook his head.

It seemed Rin understood as she gave a soft laugh before growing serious. "It's an amusing thought, but we need to be serious, Obito. Fugaku–san will not be pleased if you're picturing his youngest son being beaten with his own arm."

That didn't stop his laughter in the least. "Do you… Do you have to word it like that?"

Itachi shook his head and sighed, as did Kakashi.

Rin did not look amused.

Slowly calming down, Sakura took deep breaths and wiped under her eyes, not even daring to look in Obito's direction for she knew it would only make her laugh again. "Sorry, Itachi." she mumbled with a small smile. "I just–"

"It's fine." he gave her a small smile.

It wasn't like he had no sense of humour, because honestly, the thought of Sasuke's reaction to such a thing happening was amusing. However, now they needed to be serious. His parents and Shisui were halfway through the traps, meaning they would reach them very soon. It didn't take as long for them as it did for the first group because there had only been Itachi who had the sharingan and he had to protect the others. With his parents and Shisui, they all had the sharingan, so were all capable of dodging the traps.

And sure enough, not even a minute later, the entrance was scraping open, making Sakura cringe at the loud, ear–grating sound.

The three Uchiha who entered seemed wary, no doubt already sensing three extras in the hideout. Then, they appeared to be shocked. Sakura bit her lip worriedly. Would they really force Obito, Kakashi and Rin to leave? What if that Orochimaru guy got to them?

"Itachi," his father muttered, eyeing Obito with narrowed eyes, "what is the meaning of this?"

"They were here when we arrived." Itachi answered smoothly, his expression and voice both blank.

"Why?" Mikoto asked as she glanced around the room. "And where is Sasuke?"

"And the others?" Shisui added.

"The Sabaku clan are in the fourth room from the right." he replied to them. "And Naruto–kun is currently watching over Sasuke, as there are a few things we must discuss that he cannot be aware of."

"This has Orochimaru all over it." Shisui rolled his eyes, but it was obvious that he was serious and listening to every word his cousin said.

Noticing that he had their full and unwavering attention, Itachi turned his head to the side, nodding once at Obito and telling him, without words, to tell them everything he had told them. And so he did. Unlike earlier, however, he kept it serious, not making any jokes about a certain Uchiha Madara's body odour, or anything of the sort. As he went on, Sakura watched the three by the door. Shisui's features were just as blank as Itachi's. Mikoto looked wary and worried, whilst Fugaku was watching them all with narrowed eyes.

When he was finished, Fugaku closed his eyes with a sigh. "You can continue to stay here and use our hideout." he told them. "However, do not think that this is an act of kindness. I cannot have Orochimaru get his hands on the sharingan."

"Act of kindness or not," Rin spoke softly with a gentle smile, "we're extremely grateful for your help and understanding."

"Rin, Obito–san mentioned you are a medic, did he not?" At Mikoto's question, the brunette nodded once. "Please will you take a look at my son? There may not be much that you can do, but I just want to know that Sasuke will make a full recovery."

Sakura lowered her eyes to the ground at the pained look on Mikoto's face, feeling utterly guilty.

"Of course, Mikoto–san." she then turned to Sakura. "Would you like to be there?"

Her head snapped up, her eyes widening. "Me?"

"You've got a medic's eyes." Rin smiled. "That is what Obito meant earlier. You want to be a medic, don't you? I can teach you the basics now, but I'm no Tsunade–sama."

The smile that suddenly brightened Sakura's face had Itachi's chest feeling warm, had _that feeling_ flooding through him. "That would be great!"

* * *

Thankfully, there was no permanent damage to Sasuke's body. He was going to be in great pain over the next couple of months whilst his body regenerated, but other than that, he would make a full recovery. Sakura had been so glad to hear that, as had the Uchiha clan and Naruto.

During the examination, Rin explained and showed her how to examine somebody with the use of chakra. Sakura had been unsure about trying it out on Sasuke, but with Rin there to guide and explain things to her, she managed to do it without causing any harm or damage. Like Mikoto had told her months ago, she had perfect chakra control, so knew how much to use and how much was dangerous. The seals were pretty simple for a basic examination and they were not difficult to remember.

Rin had then gone on to teach her how to numb the pain Sasuke was feeling, telling her that it would increase when he woke up. Hearing that made Sakura's guilt grow, but it also made her more determined to remember everything the brunette was telling her, to remember all of the seals. Also, as they worked, Sakura found that it was so much easier picking all of this up than the other jutsu that the Uchiha clan had been attempting to teach her. Rin told her that that wasn't too surprising, as it had been the exact same thing for her, too. Like some people were born to be leaders, they were born to be healers.

Sakura liked Rin. She was kind and gentle, yet she could be stern at times too, making it obvious that despite being gentle, she was most definitely no pushover.

"Rin–san," the older woman looked up at her curiously, "earlier, when Obito–san was talking about his bond with you…"

When Sakura trailed off, Rin gave a small smile. "You want to know more about it?" Sakura nodded shyly. "Well, it's by no means simple – but I'm sure you've already figured that much out. It kind of freaked us all out when Obito first changed us and could feel not only my emotions and feelings as though they were his own, but also Kakashi's. We could feel his, too. That's when I learned of his feelings for me. There was this warmth that would be sent my way whenever Obito looked at me, or spoke to me – impossible to ignore, too."

"Is that when you started to fall in love with him?"

"No." she shook her head, her eyes seeming unfocused, as though Rin was lost in her memories. "No, it was when Kakashi and I thought we lost him. That day, even thinking about it causes me pain. I felt like I lost my purpose. On our old team, Minato–sensei and Kakashi were strong warriors, so they didn't need me that much since they were hardly ever injured. Obito, however, _always_ managed to get himself injured somehow." There was a wistful smile on her face. "Even though he tried to act tough, Obito needed me. When he died, or supposedly died, I felt like I wasn't needed anymore."

"It must have been a great feeling to find out that he was still alive." Sakura said gently.

Rin nodded, but her smile dimmed. "It kind of reminded me of the whole Romeo and Juliet storyline. You know, where Juliet pretends to commit suicide, only Romeo doesn't know the plan and actually kills himself?" Sakura nodded. During school, she had had to study the play for English. "Only, our roles were reversed. I'm not saying I tried to kill myself because Obito was, in my eyes, dead. It's just… I don't know. He 'died', then I was about to die, only for Obito to suddenly appear before me, just like in the play." Looking down at her hands, Rin frowned. "It was the most horrifying discovery I have ever made. That look in his eyes… It was like torture and it made me regret my decision. If I had just held on for an extra couple of minutes, if I had hesitated just a little longer–" Suddenly, Rin shook her head. "No, I still would have done it. It was to protect Kakashi, my team, to protect Konoha."

The younger woman's eyes widened and her jaw slackened. "You almost killed yourself for our home?"

"You were never involved in the wars, Sakura–san." Rin told her seriously. "You never saw what it was like for us. People were dying everywhere we looked and I couldn't do anything to stop it! I'm supposed to be a medic, yet I couldn't save them, just like I couldn't save Obito."

It looked as though she was going to start crying and Sakura wondered if she should comfort the brunette. However, a moment later, another person appeared beside her, sitting down next to Rin and taking her hand. Sakura's eyes were wide as she looked up to see Obito there, staring down at Rin with saddened eyes. It was like he had materialized!

"It's okay, Rin." Obito soothed her, his hand raising and cupping her cheek gently. It surprised Sakura that the scars on his body didn't continue onto his hand or arm. Had the transformation only healed parts of his body? For her, it had healed all parts and left no scarring at all. Why was it different for Obito? "I don't blame you for what happened. I did what I had to, to protect our team, just like you did what you had to, to protect that idiot Kakashi."

Rin let out a shaky laugh and nodded, looking up at him with warm brown eyes. The moment made Sakura's dead heart melt as she watched them. It was almost as though they were exchanging thoughts and suddenly, she felt like she was intruding on a very private moment. But not a moment after she decided to get up and leave, Obito turned to face her. Even with the scars, he was still quite a handsome man.

"You want to know more about the bond, right?" Sakura nodded more surely this time, because if the information was coming from Obito, then she would be learning about how the bond felt for Itachi. The thought excited her a little. "What do you want to know?"

For a moment, she was silent. What did she want to know? She wanted to know everything! "Uh," Sakura murmured, looking thoughtful, "the intensity. I mean, how strong it is."

Obito nodded and this time, he was the one who seemed thoughtful. "You and Itachi haven't been separated that long since he changed you, have you?"

"No more than a couple of hours."

He chuckled. "Damn. And how long have you been a vampire for?"

"Just over two months, I'd say. Closer to three."

"I think your bond with Itachi is a little like my bond with Rin. Not exactly like ours, because it's different for everyone, but close enough. Like you two, we were never separated for longer than a few hours and I stayed with her throughout the entire transformation. How long were you out for? A day like the rest of us?"

Sakura looked down at her legs with a frown. Everyone else had only been out for a day? No wonder the Uchiha clan had thought she would never wake up! "A week."

The two opposite her gasped with shock and exchanged looks. "A week?" Rin asked, her voice sounding shocked. "What happened to you? If you don't mind my asking, of course."

Her eyebrows knitted together as Sakura felt her chest clench, as she felt her breathing quicken ever so slightly. "I…" Her eyes watered and her lower lip trembled, no matter how hard she tried to stop it. "They…"

"Sakura?"

"I'm sorry." she whispered, wiping her eyes. "I–"

"Sakura." This time, the voice did not belong to Rin or Obito. It belonged to Itachi.

Hearing his voice, she glanced over her shoulder, giving him a grateful smile as she stood up and made her way over to him. Was it strange that it was still difficult to think about what happened, even though it had been almost three months now? Inwardly, Sakura shook her head, accepting Itachi's outstretched hand as he guided her into their room so that they could have some privacy.

At that moment in time, everybody was scattered around the place. The Sabaku clan and Naruto were doing a perimeter run. Sasuke was still unconscious in his bedroom, where Shisui and Kakashi were relaxing or watching over the younger Uchiha. Mikoto continued to check up on her son every couple of hours, but otherwise stayed in her bedroom with Fugaku. And before he had gone to Sakura's side, Itachi had been in their bedroom, reading a book. She had been speaking with Rin in the main room, where Obito had joined them not too long after.

"I thought I was getting better." Sakura whispered the second the door was closed and she knew that Obito and Rin would no longer be able to hear them. "I mean, I thought I could at least speak about what happened without…"

Itachi regarded her silently for a moment or two before pulling her against him and sighing. "It is perfectly normal for you to be upset, hime."

"But I don't want to be."

"I know."

It was easier speaking to Itachi about how she felt and not only because he could truly understand how she was feeling because of their bond. It was because he radiated peace. His presence relaxed her and made Sakura feel safe. Unlike when Naruto had been holding her earlier that day, she felt comfortable in his arms.

Pulling back to look up at him, Sakura watched his expression for a moment. His eyes were warmer than what they would be around his clan, around his father. He didn't look as unapproachable. There was no smile, but she didn't care. Their current topic wasn't one for smiles and laughter. When he did smile, however, it never failed to make her smile, too. There was just something so beautiful about Itachi when he smiled.

"I'm really glad I have you."

The words hadn't meant to leave her mouth and it seemed Itachi knew that, since he gave her a soft smirk. "Really?" She nodded and her breath caught as Itachi leaned forward ever so slightly, his voice dropping to a low murmur whilst he stared at her lips, "How glad?"

Her mind clouded over with an emotion she couldn't understand fully. All Sakura knew was that she liked whatever he was doing to her. She liked feeling his hand brushing a stray piece of her hair behind her ear. And his eyes… Sakura didn't even know where to begin!

"Very." she whispered.

"Hime," Sakura's lips parted as his breath washed over her, clouding her mind even further, "we still need to continue our previous conversation."

Previous conversation? Which one?

And then his lips were against hers and Sakura knew exactly which conversation Itachi was talking about.

It was a simple kiss. Warm and soft. Yet it still managed to make her stomach fill with butterflies, still managed to make her feel as though her entire body was tingling. But then it ended far too quickly and Itachi leaned back to look at her far too soon.

Her eyes flickered between staring into his impossibly dark eyes and his lips until Itachi leaned forward once more, making Sakura's breath catch as he kissed her again. As he cradled her head, her lips moved against his hesitantly. He could feel her uncertainty, could feel the small feeling of panic beginning to grow when his free hand rested on her waist and, noticing it, Itachi moved his hand away. However a second later he was surprised when Sakura pulled his hand back to its resting place on her waist. There was a slight shake in her hand and he could feel that she was unsure.

"I–I trust you." Sakura whispered against his lips a couple of moments after they parted. "Just…"

When she trailed off, Itachi felt his chest constrict. "I will not hurt you, hime."

"Good." she smiled weakly, her lower lip trembling ever so slightly. "Because I _really _don't want to be hurt again."

He gently shushed her as he captured her lips once more.

* * *

**A/N - Just to make it clear: Madara wasn't a vampire! He had a vampire's venom and injected it into Obito, but didn't want to change himself until he was brought back into his prime. A little like the manga, where he puts his trust in Obito. However, there's no Zetsu to make sure Obito keeps to the plan. Don't forget: Obito only agreed because he lost Rin! **


	10. Under Control

**Chapter 9 – Under Control**

Itachi did not touch her unless she wanted to be touched. Well, he still held her as much as he previously did, but Sakura meant more sensual, _sexual_, touches. If she didn't show any signs of wanting him to touch or hold her in such a way, then he would not do so. Usually it was Sakura who made the first move and whilst she was a little nervous of such a thing, she was grateful for it. That way, it was her who was in control, who controlled how they kissed, where they kissed.

They had not gone any further than kissing, as neither wanted to rush what was growing between them. However, Sakura had noticed the hungry look that would flicker through Itachi's eyes and it only made her so much more grateful how he didn't act on those urges and instead respected her enough not to push her.

Something was bugging her, though. Well, not exactly bugging her, as Sakura was certain her thoughts were correct, but she had to know for sure.

"Sakura–chan?"

She smiled shyly at Mikoto, glancing around the main room to make sure nobody else was there. At that moment, most of the Uchiha clan were out and, as usual, everybody else was in their own rooms except for Mikoto. It was simply best to keep out of each other's way, really. So many vampires under one roof, hidden in one hideout, wasn't the best idea. No, nobody had started fighting or causing any trouble, but it was obvious some weren't entirely comfortable.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Sakura asked quietly, gesturing behind her to the room she shared with Itachi. "In private?"

Mikoto was on her feet in an instant, nodding silently as she followed Sakura back into her bedroom. There was a certain scent that hit Mikoto in the face the moment she stepped into the room, but she decided not to comment on it, even though she was bubbling with excitement on the inside. Arousal. Yes, it was strange for her to be so happy, but her son was finally letting somebody in! He had never showed much interest in females before. In fact, Sakura was the first. And it made her even happier that Sakura was trying to get over her past, too.

"What is it, Sakura–chan?"

Sitting down on the sofa, Sakura smiled nervously up at Mikoto and realising that it could quite possibly be a 'girl talk', she sat down beside her. Like always, her back was straight, ankles crossed delicately and she folded her hands on her lap, watching Sakura curiously. She reminded the younger woman of royalty.

"I don't really know where to begin…"

"I usually find it easier simply speaking my mind. You should never hesitate in voicing your opinion or question."

Nodding, Sakura glanced down at her hands before forcing herself to look back up at Mikoto. Damn it! She had spoken about this with so many different women, but then again, she had been telling _them_. It was the other way around now. Now, they were talking about _her_, not _them_. To make it worse, this was Itachi's _mother_.

"Birth control." she blurted out and then blinked suddenly. That had definitely not been how she wanted to word her question. "I mean," Sakura grimaced, "it's been almost four months now and I haven't had a period. It's not surprising, what with me being technically dead and all, but… I was just wondering…"

There was a saddened look on Mikoto's face as the woman shook her head. "No, you will not be able to conceive, Sakura–chan. To conceive, a woman's body has to go through many changes, but I am certain you already know this, considering you had been on your way to becoming a doctor." Sakura nodded. "Our bodies can no longer change unless it is to regenerate. I'm not sure if it is possible for a male vampire to impregnate a human woman, but they can still ejaculate."

Surprisingly, Sakura didn't find their conversation awkward at all. It was as though Mikoto was choosing her words carefully and in a way, it felt almost like a conversation between doctor and patient. It was strange to think of herself and Mikoto in such a way, but it was true.

Growing up, because she and Mebuki had never been entirely close, Sakura had never felt comfortable with speaking to her mother about these things. Instead she had figured puberty and sex out all by herself (with a little help from Ino in the sex department, as her own love life had been seriously lacking). At the age of sixteen, with the encouragement of Ino, Sakura had started taking birth control because apparently, you never know when you will meet 'Mr Right'. Sakura had to refrain from rolling her eyes at her best friend's words – it wouldn't be the first time. If he was 'Mr Right', then they would not be having sex the moment they met.

"As for ourselves, since our bodies cannot change, we will not fall pregnant. I'm sorry, Sakura–chan."

Hearing the genuine tone in her voice, how she really seemed upset, Sakura gave her a smile. "Honestly, I've never really thought about having children. I was just unsure if it was a vampire thing or not."

"You may not want children now, but the thought will come to you in a couple of years, once you and Itachi have settled down."

Sakura lowered her gaze to her hands once more. A family, with Itachi? She couldn't deny that it was an appealing thought (who wouldn't want little Itachi babies running around?), but she just didn't want children right now. There was a possibility of Mikoto being right, that she _would_ want children in the future, but Sakura honestly didn't think that she would. Yes, she liked children, but she was still too young to have any of her own. But what about Itachi? Did he want children? Had he ever thought about having children before?

"Has Itachi…?"

Mikoto gave her a soft smile and placed one of her hands over Sakura's, giving a gentle squeeze. "Not that I know of. Itachi is a very private person. If there is anyone who knows the answer to that question, it will be Shisui or yourself."

Right. Itachi had never given any indications that he wanted children, but none of them did, to be honest. Mikoto didn't show any signs of wanting more children, but Sakura had spoken to her once before and learned that she wouldn't have minded having more. What if Itachi _did_ want children? Would that become a problem for them because she wouldn't be able to give him any? It made her a little uncomfortable with thinking about such things. Not the thought of being with Itachi in such an intimate way, but the thought of her inability to conceive causing a problem.

Part of her knew for a fact that Itachi wouldn't make a big fuss of it, that he wouldn't let it damage their growing relationship, their bond, but there was a small part of her asking: what if it _did_ upset him? There was no denying that Itachi would be a great father as he was an incredibly patient man and always took care of her, but–

Wait, just what the hell was she thinking? She had only known him for not even four months and they were just figuring out the romantic side of their relationship. No ordinary couple would start to think about having children together. But then again, they were no ordinary couple. They were vampires. They were connected.

"Do you think I should speak to Itachi?" Sakura asked after a couple of minutes, glancing up at Mikoto. "About him possibly wanting children?"

The older woman gave her a small smile, squeezing Sakura's hand one last time before standing. "I think it would be best to leave it for a while, until you are both more certain about your relationship. That way there will be no misunderstandings – not that there will be any, due to your bond."

"Thank you for this, Mikoto–san." Sakura told her, genuinely grateful for the talk. It had cleared up a lot for her. "You really helped me out."

"It's nothing, Sakura–chan. Just know that you can come to me whenever you feel as though you need somebody to talk to. After all, there are certain things that you just cannot speak to Itachi about, am I right?"

Oh she was definitely right. No, Sakura wasn't immature, but speaking about periods with Itachi? Uncomfortable to say the least. "You're right." she smiled. "Thanks again."

O.o.O

He was waking up!

Rin had come to find her the moment she noticed the differences in Sasuke's chakra, the moment she realised he was waking up. God, she was _so_ relieved to hear that! He had been out for a while and no matter how many times the others told her not to worry so much, she couldn't help it.

Apparently regenerating took up quite a lot of energy, which was the reason behind his unconsciousness. Not only that, but Rin had also been calming his chakra and soothing him into a deeper sleep with her own chakra. She told Sakura that it was best to sleep off the first few weeks of regeneration, as they were always the most painful. Hunting, for Sasuke, was going to be much more difficult for the moment, which was why Itachi and Shisui had just headed out with Obito and Rin, the latter having an excuse to purchase donated blood. She was a doctor and had proof of it, too.

Sakura didn't like the thought of taking donor blood. What if somebody else really needed it? Couldn't Sasuke wait just a little while and once his energy was back, go out hunting? But no. Itachi had informed her that right now, Sasuke would be close to ravenous. He wasn't as in control of his thirst like the other Uchiha were and it would be safer to simply take blood to him. Kankuro had shrugged and said, "_At least they're not bringing a living sacrifice for him to feast on_".

She shuddered.

Just the thought of putting some innocent person through such a thing disgusted her.

Mikoto and Fugaku were currently away, so Kakashi, Gaara and Temari had gone out to find them, whilst Kankuro and Naruto stayed behind in case anything happened. Naruto seemed just as happy as the rest of them to hear that Sasuke would finally be waking up, but Sakura was certain that that had more to do with the fact he had, yet again, drawn on Sasuke's face. Mikoto continued to wash it off, knowing how much it would anger her youngest son, but the blond continued to draw the whiskers and offensive name back on, grinning at her whenever she returned and saw it.

Sitting down, Sakura smiled as she saw Sasuke's features twitching, some indicating pain, whilst others indicating that he would be waking shortly. They were the usual tell–tale signs of somebody waking up. He was moving about more, his breathing pattern had changed.

It was so strange looking at his shoulder. There was no arm attached to it, yet you could see it growing back. It shouldn't even be possible, but apparently, it was. No, the bones weren't visible. Strangely enough, it looked like a… She didn't even know how to describe it. To put it simply, it looked as though his arm had been amputated, but every couple of days (sometimes a week or so), it would become longer. Right now it was about an inch or two from his elbow, which meant it had grown about four or five inches from the place where she had ripped it off. It would grow more quickly once he had sated his thirst.

She leaned forward, practically hovering over him. Even though her senses were warning Sakura to give Sasuke some room for when he first woke up, she couldn't. She owed him way too much and needed to thank him properly. It didn't matter if he had only saved her life to stop Itachi from experiencing any emotional pain (although she made a mental note to thank him for _that_ too). Sasuke had still saved her and she would forever be indebted to him.

And then Sasuke's eyebrows were mashing together, his lips were thinning and his eyes squeezed shut. There was a look of agony on his face and noticing it, Sakura went through the hand seals Rin had taught her, summoning the correct amount of chakra, before her hands hovered over Sasuke's arm. The green glow of her chakra grabbed his attention, as his eyes suddenly snapped open, but when he saw who it was, saw that he was not in any danger, Sasuke fell silent and observed her.

"When–"

His voice cut off and he grimaced, his hand flying up to his throat.

He was thirsty.

"Here," Sakura said softly, gently prying his hand from his throat. In response, Sasuke's eyes narrowed, carefully watching her every move as her glowing hand raised to his neck, "it won't last for long, but it'll numb the burning."

Once she numbed the flaring agony of his throat, Sakura went back to working on his arm, leaving Sasuke secretly grateful to have her there. The burning of both his arm and throat had been unbearable.

"When did you learn medical ninjutsu?"

She was silent for a moment. Thinking her words over carefully, he noticed. "I'm not sure if I'm the one who should tell you this, but you're going to figure out sooner or later. When we arrived at the hideout almost two months ago now, there–"

"_Two months_?" Sasuke exclaimed, his mask cracking as his panic and shock showed. "I was unconscious for that long?"

"Yeah. You kept waking up every now and then, but I don't think you really knew what was going on." When he nodded, silently telling her to continue, she did so. "When we arrived, there were three people here already." His eyes widened, his sharingan activating as he glared around them. Sakura paid no attention. "You know one of them, Sasuke. His name is Hatake Kakashi." This seemed to relax him. "With him, were two others. Nohara Rin and…" Her eyes drifted up to his, wanting to watch Sasuke's reaction. "Uchiha Obito."

Sasuke did not disappoint. His eyes were almost dramatically wide, his one fist clenched in the bed sheet that was covering his thighs and his entire body had gone rigid. "…Uchiha?"

There was a pause and in that pause, his eyes flashed to hers, making her nod. "Itachi was just as shocked. So were your parents and Shisui–san. But Obito–san is no harm to us, Sasuke. You don't need to worry about him. And his lover, Rin–san, is the one who taught me basic medical ninjutsu. We've been looking after you for the past two months. Of course Rin was doing more than me because I'm still learning, but she said I'm picking it all up quickly." Sasuke nodded numbly. "She _also_ said that like me, she had a difficult time learning other jutsu, such as the elements and things like those. But also like me, Rin–san picked up medical ninjutsu easily."

Oh God. It sounded like Sakura was going to become a miniature Tsunade, Sasuke thought with a barely suppressed shudder.

"Sakura, this Uchiha… How is it that he's alive?"

Her mouth opened, but then closed. Reading her expression was easy and Sasuke immediately realised that Sakura wasn't too sure on how to explain. "I've heard the story twice now and it still doesn't make any sense to me." she sighed, shaking her head with annoyance. Extracting her chakra, Sakura gave Sasuke more room to sit up properly. "All this supernatural talk is just… It's still a little crazy to me."

Yes, he had noticed that. "Where's Kakashi?"

"Out. But… Naruto is in the main room, if you want to speak to him?" Sasuke shook his head. "Uh… Sasuke?" His eyes narrowed at her sudden nervousness. "You might want to wash your face."

And when Sakura handed him one of his kunai so that he could see his reflection, Sasuke saw red, his chakra flaring and telling the others of his consciousness. "_Naruto_!"

The door swung open dramatically, banging harshly against the wall and in the doorway, stood a tall and proud, snickering blond. He looked incredibly proud of himself and that look only increased when he saw the enraged look on Sasuke's face.

Suddenly, he leaped forward, landing on the bottom of Sasuke's bed in a crouched position. It startled Sakura, but Sasuke seemed used to it by now. She supposed that he would have to be. Naruto looked almost animal–like in his crouched position, his eyes wide and excited.

"It's about time!" Naruto grinned wickedly. "I was starting to think that you were just being plain lazy."

Sasuke's upper lip curled. "_What the hell_ have you done to my face?"

He shrugged, his grin growing more wild and animalistic by the moment. It seemed he enjoyed annoying Sasuke. "Think yourself lucky, you bastard! I was going to cut your hair off."

His left eye twitched.

"Your mom kept trying to wash it off," Sakura told him quietly, "but this idiot here kept sneaking back in and drawing it on again."

"That doesn't surprise me in the least." Shoving away his sudden overwhelming urge to brutally murder Naruto, Sasuke glanced down at Sakura. "Where is everyone?"

It was Naruto who replied as he leaned forward, demanding their attention. "They've all gone out. It's only us three here."

Sakura's features scrunched up with confusion. "What about Kankuro?"

"Oh, he's in his room. I meant here in this room there's only us!"

That made her _very_ uncomfortable.

"Everyone else is either hunting or running the perimeter." Naruto continued, not missing the way Sasuke's eyes flashed hungrily at the word 'hunting'. "Kakashi–sensei, Gaara and Temari have gone out to find your parents and bring them back. Oh! And Rin left to get you some things."

"What things?"

Naruto eyed him for a moment, obviously watching the way his throat repeatedly tightened as though Sasuke was trying to swallow. No doubt it was exactly like Itachi had warned them. He was ravenous. Suddenly serious, Naruto shifted his position slightly, preparing himself in case he had to stop Sasuke. He knew that, unlike other Uchiha, Sasuke's control on his thirst wasn't too great and, like Sakura, Naruto disliked the thought of harming innocent people. They weren't too far from a town.

"She's using her license as a doctor to bring you as much blood as possible." Sasuke's eyes once more flashed and his body tensed. "You can't leave the hideout, Sasuke. Not until you've fully regenerated. We're also too close to a town with a bunch of innocent people and I'm not going to sit back and watch you hurt them."

If looks could kill, Naruto would be dead over a thousand times with the way Sasuke was suddenly glaring at him. "Naruto. Don't tell me what I can and cannot do."

The glaring competition went on until Sakura smiled and leaned forward, taking a risk as she reached up for Sasuke's face with a wet cloth. His eyes snapped to hers. Cold and calculating. But when he realised that Sakura wasn't going to try anything and hurt him, Sasuke allowed her to clean the pen from his face, sighing as she did so. Her touch was just as gentle as his mother's. The moment she was done, Sasuke couldn't even deny that he felt much more relaxed. Her touch was soothing, just like her chakra. It seemed Sakura truly did have a medic's heart.

"And Itachi?"

Sakura paused for a moment as both Naruto and Sasuke watched her. Looking thoughtful, she focused on Itachi through their bond. He was feeling happy, relaxed. Also, Itachi felt relieved. His little brother was awake and he was okay. The thought had Sakura smiling softly, much to the others' amusement.

"He's with Shisui–san, Rin–san and Obito–san." Sakura finally told him after a moment, her eyes refocusing on what was in front of her. "He'll be back in less than ten minutes." There was a pause. And then, "Sasuke." He looked down at her questioningly. "Thank you. For saving me, I mean. I know nothing I say or do will ever repay you for what you did, but–"

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke leaned back against the headboard of his bed. "You don't have to thank me." And then, more reluctantly, "You saved my life, too."

Naruto grinned and dropped from his crouch, his legs folding Indian style on Sasuke's bed. The murderous look on the Uchiha's face was back, but the blond ignored it. "And then the pair of you were all snuggled up and adorable!"

Silence.

Sasuke looked stunned.

Sakura was certain Naruto had a death wish.

"_Snuggled up_?" Sasuke repeated, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Heh." Naruto chuckled, scratching his head. He didn't look sorry in the least. In fact it was almost as though he was trying his best to make Sasuke uncomfortable. "Well, you see, we arrived here so I dumped you on the floor and put Sakura–chan next to you, to keep you both together. But when I looked back, you snuggled up to her. Kind of–"

A fist to the face shut him up, throwing Naruto across the room and into the wall. "Liar!" Sakura yelled, her clenched fist shaking threateningly. "You upset me and Sasuke stopped me from freaking out and distracting Itachi! And then the second time, _I_ was the one who stuck close to _him_. Idiot!"

The blond struggled to his feet, trembling as he did so. "S–Sakura–chan…"

She shook her head, her arms folding over her chest as she threw herself back into the seat beside Sasuke's bed.

He smirked appreciatively. "It looks as though I need to thank you."

"Why?"

"For shutting that idiot up."

From his place against the wall, Naruto pouted.

"No problem." Sakura shrugged, but a moment later, she was smiling.

"So," Sasuke sat up straighter and gave them both a serious look, "are either of you going to explain to me why Kakashi and the other two are here?"

Her smile faltered, her eyes widening a fraction with panic. What was she supposed to tell him? Itachi had warned her not to mention Orochimaru in front of Sasuke, as it would send him into a fit of rage. Why else would Kakashi, Obito and Rin be with them? Sakura's eyes shot to Naruto's, but he seemed just as clueless as she did and each second that passed by, they could sense Sasuke growing restless and annoyed with their lack of answer.

Grimacing, she looked back up at Sasuke. "It'd be best to have Itachi explain–"

"Why?"

"He understands the situation better than we do." Sakura told him, an almost desperate smile pulling at her lips. "And you know Naruto, he'll–"

"He'll break if I push him hard enough." The Uchiha snapped, throwing back his covers as he climbed to his feet.

The moment he did, however, the sound of scraping reached Sakura's ears and she sighed with relief. It seemed after sensing her panic, Itachi had rushed back, using Shisui's teleportation ability to reach the secret entry of the hideout. It was impossible to get in any other way. You _had_ to go through the traps.

"Get back into bed, Sasuke." Itachi's voice was serious as he appeared in the doorway, blocking Sasuke's exit. To save himself from the younger Uchiha's wrath, Naruto quickly dove behind Itachi, peeking out from his side. A little pathetic of him, he would admit that, but considering the fact that a thirsty, demanding, _very pissed off_ Uchiha Sasuke had his sharingan activated and was willing to _break him_ to get answers, Naruto was not taking any chances. "If you wish to act like a child, I shall treat you as one. Now get back into bed."

And just like that, Sasuke fell back onto the bed with a vicious snarl.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek. She tried her best to shove the thoughts of Sasuke pouting out of her head, but they refused to leave, because that was exactly what he was doing. He was pouting. Sulking.

Realising that he would not try anything else, Itachi fully entered the room and behind him was Rin, Obito and Shisui, although, as Itachi had, Shisui chose to stay in the doorway. He had a more muscular build than his cousin and Sakura could not deny that as Shisui's hands dropped to his sides, his stance guarded and prepared, she was a little, _very_, intimidated. So far she had not seen much of Shisui's talents but she knew he was a genius and that he was powerful.

"You…" Sasuke's eyes narrowed on Obito's single one, ignoring the rest of them. "How are you still alive and what are you doing here?"

"As cheerful as people say, I see." Obito sighed, glancing over to Itachi. "Everything?" Itachi nodded once. And so Obito told Sasuke everything. Starting from the beginning of the war, to his death, to the supposed Uchiha Madara, to changing Rin and Kakashi, and then finally to Orochimaru attacking them in hopes of his sharingan. "And not only mine, either. He wants Shisui's. He wants your brother's. Considering how powerful you are becoming, I have no doubt that he wishes to obtain yours, also."

A savage look had entered Sasuke's eyes the moment Orochimaru had been mentioned. It was such a bloodthirsty, animalistic look, such a hate–filled and murderous glare, that it had Sakura's breath leaving her, had her literally trembling in fear. The air was filled with a thick, murderous intent, one that screamed right in your face the pain Sasuke was going to cause Orochimaru.

It was terrifying.

Taking the bag from Rin's hands, who had frozen with the paralysing fear of Sasuke's rage, Sakura ignored her instincts, the ones telling her to flee, and took out a packet of blood, raising it hesitantly. "Here. My dad always used to say I'm scary when I'm hungry." Her voice was hoarse and it took everything in her to keep it even, especially when Sasuke's hard eyes snapped to hers. "Maybe if you–"

He snatched the packet out of her hand, ripping it open with his teeth and pouring the contents into his mouth. And the moment it was empty he was throwing it to the ground and snatching the entire bag from her hold.

She pouted, forcing herself to ignore the delicious smell of human blood. "The least you could do is say thank you to Rin–san for getting you all this blood."

He ignored her.

Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction. "Rin–san went out of her way to get you what you need, Sasuke. Show both her and Sakura some respect. Our mother raised you better than that." Sasuke's eyes slowly slid from the packet in his hand and up to Itachi's, narrowing dangerously when his brother raised an expectant eyebrow. Itachi's eyes once again narrowed. "Sasuke."

"…Thank you."

A small, shaky smile was Rin's reply, whilst Sakura sighed. It seemed, even after everything, Itachi could still control his younger brother. That was a relief to know. Whether it was because he respected Itachi, or because he knew he could not win against him… It didn't matter. What mattered was that he was under control.

"So what's the plan?" Sasuke demanded as he threw yet another empty packet to the ground.

"There isn't one."

Once more, Sasuke's eyes hardened as he glared up at Itachi murderously. Sakura didn't like the look. She hated it. How the hell could he look at his own brother like that? Like he was absolutely worthless? Yes, she could remember what she had been told, could remember how Sasuke lost control sometimes, but that was no excuse. He was allowing himself to get angry.

"You are in no state to fight, Sasuke." Itachi continued, giving him a serious look. "Right now, you will only get yourself killed."

The glare increased.

"Please, Sasuke–san." Rin spoke up, giving him a smile. "Your body is not capable of fighting just yet. Perhaps–"

Obito was suddenly in front of Rin, his single eye bleeding red in response to Sasuke glaring at Rin with wildly spinning red and black eyes.

"Don't look at Rin like that." he spat warningly, his arm lashing out as though he could hide her from Sasuke's glare. "She's trying to help you and you're acting like a spoilt brat. Grow up! This is much bigger than your need for revenge. If you get killed out there, trying to prove some point by fighting Orochimaru, what's going to happen? Your entire clan will be dragged into it. What? You think that nothing will happen if you die? You're wrong, you idiot! You'll have your clan and Naruto getting involved as well as Kakashi – and I refuse to lose my friend, a member of my clan, because you're too childish, too naïve, to know when enough is enough!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke watched Itachi shake his head at Shisui, silently telling him to stay back. Whatever. He didn't need either of them. He didn't need their help. His upper lip curled. "Childish?" Sasuke repeated slowly, in a low and deadly voice. "Naïve?"

Just as he stood up, Sakura was knocking him straight back down, sending chakra through her entire body to increase her weight, to keep him pressed down into the bed. "Stop it!" she yelled angrily at him, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Stop trying to pick a fight! Obito–san is looking out for his clan, just like you'd look out for your own. They came here because Orochimaru can't reach us here." Sasuke thrashed beneath her and tried to get back up, even going as far as to snap at her with his teeth, but she merely added more chakra, causing him to grunt in pain. "_Listen to us_! It's not safe for you to fight right now. Your body is in no condition to fight. But think of it this way: what's going to happen once you regenerate?" Silence met her and Sasuke stopped thrashing, glaring up at her. She met his eyes daringly. "You're going to grow stronger."

His eyes widened.

"What, you think I've just been sitting on my ass doing nothing these past few months? Hell no! Rin–san has been teaching me all kinds of things, showing me her research. You're going to become stronger when you regenerate, Sasuke." Not by much, but he _would_ become stronger. "If you just wait a little while until your arm is better, who knows how strong you'll be?"

An arm wrapped around her waist, startling Sakura for a moment before Itachi was lifting her off of Sasuke and placing her onto her feet. It took him using more strength than he'd ever admit because of the chakra she had sent throughout her body, however after she released it, she became much lighter.

"It is understandable why you are angry, Sasuke. It is reasonable, too. However, I will not allow you to cause unnecessary violence and deaths." Sasuke opened his mouth, about to yell in rage, but Itachi cut him off with a fierce glare. "No. Like Obito–san refuses to lose his clan, I refuse to lose ours." his eyes narrowed dangerously. "What if mother was to be targeted? Do you think she will last against somebody like Orochimaru?"

Sasuke's eyes widened and a faint tremor took over his body. "…Mother."

"Do you want her to suffer the same way you did?"

At his demand, Sasuke shook his head, his wide eyes staring down at the bed in pure horror. "No." he whispered, his voice strained and hoarse. "_No_."

Itachi calmed himself, giving his brother a serious look. "Then do not act selfishly. And once you are at full health, I will see if you are fit to fight Orochimaru. Not Rin–san. Not mother or father. _Me_."

Still thinking of the horrors he had gone through, still thinking of them happening to _his mother_, Sasuke could do nothing other than nod numbly.

* * *

**A/N - Please tell me if you find any mistakes! I haven't had time to edit this chapter yet and probably won't until next week.**


	11. What Happened To You?

**Chapter 10 – What Happened To You?**

They were trying something new today. Well, maybe not entirely new, but new enough.

It was late at night, possibly extremely early morning. Everybody was either in their bedrooms or hunting. It had been a week since Sasuke woke up and since then, they had been bringing him as much blood as they could, trying to make him comfortable. Together, Itachi and Sakura had gone out hunting earlier on in the evening before taking a look through the town nearby. They had both needed a few things. New clothes, that sort of thing. She was so proud of herself for resisting the urge to hunt whilst surrounded by so many humans.

The walk had been pleasant, although Itachi couldn't say that he enjoyed shopping. Sakura enjoyed browsing, even if she wasn't going to purchase the item. He tried to tell her to pick whatever she wanted but she wouldn't have any of it and kept putting back the most expensive items after looking at them longingly. Were all females like that? He couldn't recall his mother ever doing such a thing – then again, she always had the money to buy whatever she wanted. So did that mean Sakura was uncomfortable with spending his money? He hoped not. He couldn't care less about it. Money was money.

In all honesty, he and his clan had more money than they needed after having centuries of storing it up. They didn't need to buy food or anything of the sort. Sure, his mother had a tendency to go overboard with shampoo and conditioner and other toiletries such as those, but it wasn't so bad he supposed.

And now, here they were. Sitting on the sofa in their bedroom and making out like they were teenagers.

Itachi had to keep reminding himself that Sakura _was_ a teenager.

Tilting her face, he deepened the kiss, though took it slowly for her when he felt her tense as his hand fell to her waist. She didn't make a move to stop him or tell him to stop. Inside, she was torn between continuing or putting an end to their session. He stroked her side soothingly, his thumb tracing patterns on the small exposed piece of skin there.

It was when his hand moved, sliding over her skin and closer to her back, that he noticed something. She was scared, but it seemed his presence soothed her and made her more comfortable. Maybe the thought of somebody touching her back unnerved her? It wouldn't be surprising as his mother's description on how badly injured Sakura had been entered his mind. Her spine had been more or less snapped in half – stopping all movement below the waist.

He quickly shut those thoughts down, not wanting to think of what had happened to Sakura at a time like this.

To make her feel more in control, Itachi gently pulled her onto his lap before moving his arms to the back of the sofa, gripping it tightly as he felt her pressing down against him. Her presence was everywhere and she was like a drug that he couldn't get enough of. However, it was nothing he couldn't handle.

It didn't take Sakura long to realise what Itachi meant and a small smile graced her lips before she was kissing him again, her hands running through his hair.

Control. He was giving her more control. The sensual sigh that left her lips couldn't be stopped, nor could her deepening the kiss. It was obvious Itachi wished he could return her touches, for his grip on the back of the sofa tightened. For now, however, he was content with kissing her. It was taking a lot for Sakura to even go this far and they both knew it.

When they parted for air, she bit her lip at the hazy look in his eyes, knowing that hers would be no different.

She wanted to go further. She really did. But there was a nervous feeling in her stomach, one that felt like it was weighing her down and about to make her throw up. Could vampires throw up? Probably not, but it felt like she was about to. Taking a deep, calming breath, Sakura smiled down at him, stroking his cheek softly. How did she manage to find a guy like Itachi? A man who was so patient and kind, yet so protective and dangerous. He made her feel safe. No, he made her feel downright untouchable.

It was with that thought that she leaned forward once more and captured his lips. The kiss was no longer chaste. This time it was hungrier, taking Itachi completely by surprise, though it didn't take him long to return the kiss, his eyes sliding shut and body tensing when she moaned into his mouth, making hot lava pool in his stomach. Fingers combed through his hair, a tongue tried to win a battle of dominance against his, lips were demanding and moving hungrily with his, coaxing the same reaction out of him.

There was no chance in stopping his body's natural reaction and Itachi inwardly grimaced when Sakura pushed down against him, only to break away from the kiss with a gasp to stare at him in shock.

He knew what she would be seeing. Barely restrained hunger. A deep craving for her.

And it surprised him greatly when her hands went straight back into his hair and she carried on kissing him, her pace fevered and demanding. What surprised him further was when she _rolled her hips_ against his. A low groan was swallowed by her kisses, just like her moan was swallowed by his.

Sakura's hand shook ever so slightly as it slipped away from his hair, falling to his shoulder to give her something to hold onto as she continued to roll her hips and seeing what she was doing, Itachi slowly began meeting her thrusts with his. She tensed and stopped all movement, breathing quick and shallow and making her feel dizzy.

Tears filled her eyes.

What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she make herself go any further? Itachi would never hurt her! So why?

Of course, Sakura knew the reason why. She had been raped. It's not all that surprising that she was uncomfortable with doing sexual activities, but…

But this was Itachi!

Feeling her shake once with a silent sob and feeling her frustration with herself through their bond, Itachi immediately put a stop to his movements.

"Sakura…"

"Don't stop." She shook her head, trying to calm down but it was no use and she was growing more angry with herself by the minute. "I–Itachi, I don't want to be like this!"

His eyes saddened, all traces of hunger and arousal leaving him at the sight of her pain. "I know. We don't have to continue today, Sakura. Not until you are ready."

She nodded shakily, grateful when she felt his arms wrapping around her and holding her gently, comfortingly.

* * *

"Why is he so childish?" Sakura grumbled, glancing over in the direction the blond had just gone in.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "If you think he's bad now, you should have seen him when he was human. I nearly ripped his throat out several times just to make him shut up." She looked at him in shock, making him scowl. "What? Did Itachi fail to mention that he introduced us when Naruto was still human?"

Shaking her head, Sakura smiled. "No. I just can't believe he could be more annoying than he is already!" Sasuke smirked. "But seriously. Is that just who he is or…?"

He sighed, leaning back against the headboard of his bed. "Itachi believes that it is because he was changed so young – practically a child. Naruto wasn't even sixteen years old when he was changed." Just as it looked like she was about to say something, Sasuke cut her off. "I know I was changed when I was sixteen, so there shouldn't be much of a difference, but I was much more mature than Naruto can ever be. Whilst I was watching over Itachi, making sure that his illness didn't take a turn for the worst, Naruto was throwing tantrums and pulling pranks."

In other words, Sasuke had grown up too quickly. Sakura had noticed that in Itachi's memories – Sasuke was way more sensible and mature than any other teenager his age.

"But wouldn't that have faded away by now?" Sakura asked with her confusion obvious. "I mean, it's been at least a hundred years since then, right? If Obito–san's dates are correct, of course."

"Yeah." he nodded. "We all thought that it would have – which leads to Itachi's conclusion. Naruto was too young when he was transformed and is stuck in his fifteen year old mind and body. It seems the younger the child is when changed, the more childlike they will be. Say it was a toddler who was turned. It is already difficult to teach them new things as most of the time, they refuse to listen. If they were changed at that age, they would forever be stuck in the body and mind of a toddler. It doesn't matter how much time would pass. They would forever be a toddler who can't learn anything."

Sakura was stunned to say the least and a part of her was a little disgusted at the thought of vampires changing toddlers into vampires, too. "It _does_ sound possible." she murmured, thinking over how childish and excitable Naruto was. "He kind of reminds me of some of the boys from school."

"That means nothing to him – Naruto never went to school. Sure, he was taught many things by Kakashi and even Itachi, but he never knew what it was like to go to school. The elders of Konoha kept him locked away in an enclosure like he was an animal. Apparently, it was to keep him safe, but…"

"But if that was the case, he would have never been turned." Sakura finished for him when he trailed off. Sasuke gritted his teeth and nodded. "Why would they lock him away? Was he being prepared to become the next Hokage or something?"

"We don't know. It doesn't seem like they were, because Naruto knew nothing about becoming Hokage. He didn't even know what a Hokage was before Itachi explained it to him. Since then, Naruto had a ridiculous dream of becoming the Hokage, one that was hard for him to let go of when he was turned." At her confused look, he sighed. "Naruto can't become Hokage if he's a vampire. It would capture too much attention and he would be targeted by many hunters. And how would the people of Konoha react when they notice their Hokage doesn't age? When they notice that he's more or less immortal?" He leaned back against his headboard once more and forced himself to relax. "There are too many risks in him becoming Hokage and as hard as it was for him to let go of the dream, he did so." Sasuke sensed her sadness for Naruto and rolled his eyes. "He isn't the first to do so."

Her eyes widened dramatically. "_You_ wanted to–"

This actually got him to smirk, making him appear much younger and more approachable. He genuinely found her reaction amusing. "Not at all. I meant Gaara. He wanted to become Kazekage before he was turned. He was being _prepared_ to become Kazekage."

Kazekage was the leader of Suna. Sakura's eyes widened. She _knew_ the Sabaku clan was from the desert! It was so obvious, yet she felt like she would be overstepping the boundaries by asking such a thing. Itachi was secretive about his age and he hadn't let on that he was originally from Konoha until two months after she was changed – and they had been somewhat together at that time!

But _Gaara_ as Kazekage?

"He would have been a great Kazekage." she murmured after a moment, picturing it. Over the past few months, he had given many signs that he would have been a great leader, but Sakura had thought that was because he was leader of his clan. Had he actually been preparing to become Kazekage when he was changed? Gaara once told her that the people of his village hated him. To become Kazekage would have made them see that he wasn't a monster. Yes, he was a little rough around the edges, but Gaara was not a monster. "I wonder what happened to the Sabaku clan?"

So far, she knew why the Uchiha clan was changed and she knew why Naruto, Obito, Rin and Kakashi were changed. However, the Sabaku clan was still a mystery to her. Temari had once told her that they were actually related, that they were blood–relatives before being turned. Brothers and sister. She also knew, from Kankuro, that it had been Gaara who changed his brother and sister. But _why_? And who changed Gaara?

"Ask them." he grunted. "Though, not a lot of people appreciate being asked such questions."

"Why?"

"Would you appreciate it?" Sasuke asked her sharply and she noticed that he was in pain. Obviously his arm was burning again. "Think of the reason why you were changed, why you _had_ to be turned into a vampire. Maybe something equally as horrific as that happened to them. Maybe Gaara is a victim of abuse and was changed right at the last moment. Maybe a few months down the line, he changed Temari and Kankuro."

Sakura stood up and made a few hand seals before her hands were hovering over his arm, glowing green as they did. It was now up to his elbow, which meant he was healing well. In two, maybe three months, he would be healed completely. "I suppose you're right." she agreed with a sigh. "It would be wrong to ask."

But damn she was curious.

"It would." he nodded once in thanks when she was done healing him.

* * *

"You're curious."

Sakura paused in her reading, frowning up at the figure stood in the doorway. "Excuse me?"

It was the early hours of the morning and Itachi was currently with Sasuke whilst the 'couples', as she dubbed them, were all in their bedrooms. The only ones outside of their bedrooms were herself, Naruto, Kakashi, Shisui and the Sabaku clan.

"About why we were turned."

Her eyes widened on Gaara. "Sasuke told you? I–I'm sorry, if I'm overstepping boundaries or something, feel free to–"

Temari smirked. "Relax. It's not some gruesome horror story for me and Kankuro. We simply wanted to be with our brother."

That had her shoulders feeling a little lighter, Sakura had to admit, but the saddened look in Naruto's eyes, the way he was staying quiet and not looking at anyone, told her that it was not the same story for Gaara. How close were Naruto and Gaara? Sakura hadn't really noticed it before, in all honesty. Were they friends? Best friends? Like brothers? Sakura's eyes moved back up to Gaara's, trying to tell him without words how sorry she was for bringing it up. However, it seemed like he didn't care.

"Sasuke never said anything." he muttered, folding his arms over his chest. "I overheard, since the door was left open and I was returning from a hunt."

Damned Naruto keeping the door open! She'd strangle him when she next got the chance. "I'm–"

"Stop apologising." Gaara sighed. "I don't mind telling people about my past – it's not exactly a secret to those who are here."

"Wait, so everybody except me knows?"

"Obito and Rin don't." Kakashi commented lightly.

But everyone else did. Including Sasuke. Why hadn't he just told her? Then again, Sasuke's words from earlier that day replayed in her mind, reminding her that not everybody appreciated their stories being shared. However, wasn't that what Gaara was doing right now? Sharing his story with her? Oh Sakura was so confused and she didn't like it one bit!

Waiting until her eyes were on him once more, Gaara continued. "There is a reason why my appearance is so startling."

"It's not." she shook her head quickly, closing her book and facing him more fully as Sakura sat up on her knees and used her elbows to lean over the arm of the sofa. "You're intimidating when you stand in the dark like that, but your appearance isn't startling." Yes, Sakura had mentally commented on the fact that Gaara looked like he could do with a good night of sleep, but other than that, he was rather attractive in his own way. Smirking, she added, "In my school, quite a lot of the girls went for the rugged bad boys with messy hair."

It surprised her when Gaara chuckled at her statement, stepping out of the shadows and taking a few steps forward, sitting opposite her and beside Naruto, who was grinning brightly at her. She moved as he did, sitting down fully once more. In the blond's eyes, it took a lot to make Gaara feel comfortable enough to laugh at something like that. Even Temari and Kankuro knew that, as they smirked down at their weapons as they polished them. Kakashi was continuing to read his book, although vaguely listening in, whilst Shisui merely watched them all interact.

The look on his face was amused and Sakura was pleasantly surprised to find that Gaara could actually show emotion, that he wasn't as stone cold as she had believed. "A bad boy." he smirked. That was a new one. Then, he shook his head, amusement slipping away. "I have made many mistakes in my past, and was once on a dark path of hatred. The people of my village despised me because of my ability to control sand."

Sakura sat forward slightly, listening intently. "The dark path you were talking about that night…?"

He nodded once. "The same one I tried to keep you from falling on. It took me a while to get off that path and it didn't just happen overnight. It took over fifty years, sixty–nine if you're counting from my birth, before I finally came across someone who made me believe different."

At Naruto's expression, Sakura shook her head. "Please don't tell me…"

The grin brightened. "Yeah! It was me!"

Kakashi chuckled, turning a page. "You'd be surprised with what Naruto can do, Sakura. He can 'convert' pretty much anyone he sets his sights on. Take a look at Sasuke as well as Gaara. Many others who have met Naruto have all agreed that he has a gift that draws people to him."

"So… _Why_ were you changed?"

Ever so slightly, Gaara's expression darkened and Kankuro lowered his puppet, watching his younger brother as the redhead spoke. "The people of my past… I have explained to you already the reason why they hated me." Sakura nodded slowly, frowning. "They believed it was witchcraft, that I was a demon. Many names were thrown at me. Demon, monster, murderer… I'd heard them all by the time I was just eight years old."

Sakura's heart broke for him. It really did.

"It wasn't until I turned eight that they began to come after me. The villagers began to talk, began to put pressure on the Kazekage, my father. They pushed him and they pushed him, backing him into a corner with their accusations and their hate for me." Gaara's voice and features were utterly blank once more, the fire illuminating them and somehow making him appear warmer, despite the current topic and emotionless mask. No, not warmer. Gaara seemed more open at that moment in time. "The first assassin who came for me was sent on the day I was born, the day our mother died." Sakura bit her lip. "The second came months after the first and had a much better strategy, but again, he was no match for my sand.

"By the time the seventh assassin was sent after me, I was growing sick and tired of fighting against the sand to try and save them, I was tired of the pain I was causing, but also experiencing. I was sick of having to look over my shoulder, fearing when the next attack would come. I just wanted to feel accepted." It surprised the other two Sabaku siblings when tears filled Sakura's eyes at his words. Nobody had ever been so moved by them before. "Every day that went by, however, the hope of being accepted dwindled until there was nothing but hatred left inside me. Hatred, back then, was better than other emotions. It forced me to focus on nothing but surviving."

Gaara took a deep breath, momentarily stunned by the look in Sakura's eyes. She looked so heartbroken for him, even though she barely even knew him! It was not pity she was looking at him with, nor was it sympathy. Her heart was _breaking_ for him and he couldn't understand why. "The reason I was changed, is because of poison. I made a mistake and paid the price for it. Usually, I trusted nobody but Temari to provide me with food and even then, I made sure to test it for poison. However, I was exhausted and wasn't thinking clearly. Nights without sleep, going on mission after mission to try and keep me out of the village, did that."

Another sigh. "I heard Sasuke telling you that I was being prepared to become Kazekage, which is partly true, although that wasn't until after I was changed. That night… It was a few nights after I made the official decision to become Kazekage, to take over for our father, who had passed away not long before." A pause and during that pause, the fire crackled and popped, embers spitting out from it. And even though out of the corner of her eye, Sakura could see how pretty the sight was, she couldn't tear her eyes away from Gaara's. It felt wrong to do so when he was being so open with her. "The villagers refused to have me as their Kazekage, they continued to reject me, and a final show of that rejection was to poison my food and attack when I was worn out. The elders were in on it, forcing me to go on mission after mission without sleep so that when I returned, even with my amount of chakra, I was completely exhausted. I was weak and my sand was powerless to poison. They took advantage of that.

"I didn't notice the poison until later that night, until everything was blurred and I couldn't focus on anything but the sluggish, painful beating of my own heart. Thinking it was probably an illness I had contracted from my missions, I ignored it and believed it would be flushed out of my system sooner or later – I couldn't even trust the medics so I refused to go to them." Gaara looked down at his hands, frowning ever so slightly. "But then as the days went on, the pain increased and it was becoming harder and harder to wake up in the mornings – if I even managed to get any sleep. I was hallucinating, growing extremely pale and began to look more and more like I do now – like a corpse."

Temari and Kankuro both looked at one another, the same pained look in their eyes as they remembered how helpless they had been, how Gaara had refused their help for fear they may finish him off. "When it finally registered in my mind that I had been poisoned, it was already too late, but Kankuro and Temari… They refused to give up on me, even though I was hardly pleasant to be around."

The older brother gave a small smirk. "Understatement. At one point, I think you threatened to rip my hands off and shove them down my throat if I tried to touch you."

By his side, Temari shook her head and sighed. "If you'd listened to Gaara the first time, he wouldn't have threatened you."

Gaara ignored them. "They contacted a man, one they knew would help us. I was hardly even coherent by that time and was constantly drifting in and out of consciousness. So when a strange man entered my quarters and bit me, you can probably guess what happened."

"Your sand automatically protected you."

He nodded once. "Due to him being what he was, however, he didn't die. He was merely dismembered. It was because of that, though, that my transformation wasn't complete."

Sakura frowned in confusion. "You're not one hundred percent vampire?"

"I am."

Seeing her confusion growing, Shisui spoke up. "Remember when you woke up, Sakura–chan, and you noticed that all injuries and scars you once had, were gone?" Slowly, she nodded. "That is the final stage of the transformation. Perfection. Every vampire you have come across, has been attractive, hasn't it?" Sakura bit her lip and looked away, making him smirk. "Don't worry. Itachi won't mind if you answer the question."

"Well, yeah… I guess."

"Even me?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Except for you."

"I–" he cut himself off, repeating her words, before falling back into the sofa and pouting. "You're so mean to me, Sakura–chan."

Ignoring him, Sakura looked back to Gaara. "That's what you meant about your appearance being 'startling'." she commented, to which he nodded. Sakura scratched the back of her neck and laughed sheepishly, deciding to try and lighten the mood. "I guess that's why it took so long for me to wake up, then!"

"The extent of your injuries was why it took so long." Shisui told her. "I–"

"I believe she was joking." Kakashi sighed, though his single eye creased slightly with amusement. It slipped away a moment later as he lowered his book, raising an eyebrow at Sakura. "The extent of your injuries?"

Silence met him, the rest of them remembering what Sasuke had almost yelled at Naruto and would have, had Mikoto not interrupted him. Just as Naruto was about to tell him to leave it, however, Sakura gave a small smile. "Well, I guess since we're sharing stories…" All eyes snapped to hers, making her rather self–conscious as she scratched her arm restlessly. "Um…"

Placing down her fan, Temari's blonde eyebrows knitted together. "You don't have to–"

She waved her hand dismissively and shook her head. "I'll spare you all the gory details, though, if you don't mind." They either shrugged or stared at her. "Well… I was supposed to be working a night shift at the hospital." Sakura told them, frowning to herself as she recalled the memories. "And I can remember it being quite late into the night, as they didn't need me until… Eleven, I think? Anyway. I just got off the last bus that came from around my area when I noticed that the man who'd been staring at me on the bus, had gotten off too. Naturally, I was wary and unsure, so I started walking faster."

Her hands fidgeted restlessly with her shorts, an indication of her unease. "He did too. Around that area, there aren't many street lights as it's not the nicest place to be around and people tend to avoid it. My dad usually calls me a cab and takes me to work when I have night shifts due to the trouble in that particular neighbourhood, but things had been calming down lately and I didn't want to be babied anymore. I never got a good look at the guy's face – not at first anyway. The lighting was bad and he was always just over twenty feet behind me. Never any closer.

"That walk from the bus stop to the hospital takes around ten minutes, but it felt like it was lasting a lifetime and no matter how fast I walked, I never got any closer. At one point I pulled my phone out and pretended to call someone and I noticed that, when I did, he disappeared. I nearly cried because I felt so relieved!"

Opposite her, Naruto watched her sadly as Sakura paused and bit her lip, her hands trembling as the continued to fidget. All others were utterly silent, barely even breathing as they listened to her, hearing the raw fear and pain in her voice. "But then… Then I turned the final corner and…"

Moving from her place on the floor, Temari sat beside Sakura, putting a stop to her fidgeting by grabbing her hand comfortingly, lest she wished to tear her shorts. "And?"

"And he didn't disappear. He was herding me like I was an animal ready to be slaughtered." she whispered, eyebrows mashing together as she stared down at her legs. "Just before that corner, before he disappeared, there's three different ways to the hospital and one of them is much shorter than the rest. All you have to do is cut through and walk down an alley." Temari's hand gave hers a gentle squeeze. "I wasn't even thinking when I took it. I just wanted to get to safety."

Taking a deep breath, Sakura closed her eyes, remembering every feeling, every single one of them. "And then I'm suddenly seeing that guy again. He turned that final corner and started walking towards me, and trying not to seem scared, I made my way to walk by him. In my head, I kept repeating everything I knew about fighting, about self–defence…" Sakura shook her head, opening her eyes and staring down at the rug beneath her feet. "It's so much different actually facing a situation such as that, though. My mind simply stopped working.

"Like I said, I tried to walk past him." she swallowed hard. "I kept my head down and eyes away from him, but just as I was side by side with him, I was being grabbed and dragged further down into the alleyway, where two others were waiting." Sakura appreciated the silent comfort Temari radiated, like an older sister would. "…Itachi found me not long after they'd left. He saved me. He… He could have left me there, could have ignored me, but… He saved me." Sakura finally looked up at them and gave a small smile, shrugging softly. "I'll never be able to repay him for that, or for everything else he's done for me."

Shisui returned her small smile. "Itachi doesn't expect you to. I've known him all of his life and…" He shook his head, chuckling quietly. "And I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you, Sakura. He's never let anyone in the way he has you."

"Even though I don't know him as well as Shisui–san does, I have also noticed a difference in Itachi–san." Kakashi agreed.

It made her heart warm and her stomach flip and, seeing that look, Temari smirked and shook her head. "I always knew you were a hopeless romantic."

"Really? How?"

"It's in your eyes." Kankuro commented.

"And your body language." Gaara added quietly.

"Oh and the fact that you get all mushy and love–"

Sakura threw a cushion at Naruto, hitting him square in the face and silencing him.

* * *

"I heard you told the others about that night."

Ducking under a low down branch, Sakura glanced up at Itachi as he walked by her side, also doing the same thing. "I did." she replied quietly. "What Gaara told me…"

"Even though he told you the story to his past, it does not mean you owe him anything."

"No, it wasn't that I felt like I owed him something." Sakura told him with a small smile. "I felt… comfortable. Talking to him, I mean. Gaara understands the feeling of fear, he knows the fear of being rejected and hated and looked at with disgust." She shook her head. "I didn't go into detail – I couldn't. Whilst I _do_ feel comfortable with him, I don't feel as comfortable as I do with you. I–"

Itachi suddenly stopped, his arm blocking Sakura from going forward and making her frown in confusion. However, just as she opened her mouth and was about to ask what he was doing, she saw his sharingan activating, saw something in him snap when his entire body stiffened.

And then, Itachi was pulling Sakura closer to him until she was partly behind him. "Stay behind me, Sakura."

"What's going on?" she demanded.

Instead of answering her, Itachi kept his hard eyes on the biggest trees that were to their far left, his sharingan following some sort of movement considering the fact that Itachi's eyes shifted slightly to the right. She saw nothing. She heard nothing.

"Come out." he ordered calmly, voice blank and never raising to more than an indoor voice.

How could he be so calm when…

Sakura felt her body stiffen as three people left the trees, as she felt a spike of anger and hatred in Itachi's emotions.

When…

"I see you sensed us."

"You were attempting to sneak up on us." Itachi murmured smoothly. "Do you have a death wish, Orochimaru?"

When Orochimaru was currently standing before them?

* * *

**A/N – Just so you all know, there's a reason why Sakura's so much more emotional than the rest of them!**

_Okay, I updated earlier than usual because I got a review from a guest account (think it was blue55), saying that they're 'done' with this story if I don't make the female characters more powerful. Quite annoying, really._

_I'm sure I've said this in quite a few of my stories now, but I refuse to make Sakura freakishly overpowered. That's not who she is. Mikoto's power was never discussed or mentioned or ever gone into detail about (same with Rin), so I'm trying my best here. I was going off the fact that, considering neither of them were revived during the war arc, they weren't worth it. Just take a look at who was revived! Everyone who was revived was powerful and held purpose, those two didn't. I'm not saying they're weak, but I'm not saying they're strong either. Kushina probably would've been revived if it weren't for the fact she'd been sealed away (at least I think she was, when Minato sealed part of her into Naruto)._

_I just wanted to keep everyone in character._

_As for Sakura, like I've mentioned in the actual story, she's still young and still new to the world. So much shit has gone down that they don't have time to teach her much. However, Itachi and Shisui have mentioned somewhere that she's a quick learner, despite it being difficult for her to pick up the elements. Just like in the anime/manga! I refuse to make any character overpowered. I'm trying to keep them as powerful as they are in the actual manga._

_Yes, I'll admit that Fugaku and Shisui's powers are quite, well, powerful, but what do you expect? Fugaku had to be head of the Uchiha clan for a reason and Shisui was known as a genius. People cowered at just the sound of his name! They backed out of battles when they figured out who they were up against!_

_Sakura sure as hell does have the intention of improving. If she didn't, why would she seek Tsunade out? Why would she train with not only Itachi, but also Shisui, Mikoto, Sasuke and the Sabaku clan as well as Naruto? She wants to become stronger. Being a medic is Sakura's dream, just like being Hokage is Naruto's._

_It has nothing to do with Kishimoto apparently being a 'sexist pig' and 'reducing' every woman to being useless and a medic! I don't even know how you can say that, considering the fact that Temari isn't a medic–nin and is strong in her own right. Tenten isn't. The Mizukage isn't. Hinata, whilst she knows first aid, isn't a medical ninja (or at least I can't remember her using medical ninjutsu). By the way, Temari uses the element of wind. Mei (Mizukage) can use water, fire, earth and lightning. It's said that Sakura can use earth, water, yin and yang release, but I only just figured that out by looking on that Naruto Wikipedia site._

_Do your research before insulting not only me, but also Kishimoto like that. He's spent so long on Naruto and whilst he wasn't the best at developing female characters, he's admitted to that!_

_A medic's purpose is to save people, to protect them and keep them alive and healthy. How can you even think that they've 'been reduced' to that? Without medics, the shinobi world would be fucked. It's as simple as that. Even the Raikage realised he had to rely on medics to save his teammate._

_I'm not saying that Sakura doesn't have what it takes to excel in everything. I'm simply saying that, right now, what with everything and everyone being all over the place and the fact that they're in hiding, she hardly has the time or space to be training, does she? Especially not with Orochimaru lurking around!_

_Do you honestly believe Uchiha Mikoto would be able to hold her own against somebody like Orochimaru? Somebody who gave both Tsunade and Jiraiya a hard time? And that's with his freaking arms being useless! Orochimaru, even though I don't like him, is badass and downright evil._

_That's what I don't get in fanfictions where Mikoto is still alive. Everyone makes her overpowered. Yes, as matriarch, she had to be powerful. However, Orochimaru was pretty much in a league of his own. I'm sure I mentioned somewhere that even Shisui and Itachi were wary of Orochimaru's mind tricks, the exact same ones that screwed Sasuke up. That is why he didn't want his mother fighting Orochimaru. Not because he doesn't believe in her, but because he doesn't want her to be harmed in the same way he was. He doesn't want her to be 'tainted' or 'unscrewed'._

_Mikoto does use the elements, she uses two just like Fugaku. I'm not going into detail with that, because if you'd read the last few chapters properly, you would've figured that out for yourself. She isn't that great with her sharingan and elements because she married into the Uchiha clan, whereas the males are all 'pure bloods'. That is why it took her so much longer to activate her sharingan. She's a member of the Uchiha clan through marriage, but because of being an Uchiha when changed and because of having strong children, somehow Mikoto found a way to activate the sharingan. Sounds like bullshit, I know, but the Uchiha clan has always been known as sneaky and finding a way around things. It's hard to explain what I'm trying to say!_

_If you really believe I'm being insulting to the female gender, like you believe Kishimoto was, then maybe it'll be 'a big nope from me' too._

**Sorry about that everyone else! It was a guest account so I couldn't reply in private messaging. At least you all got another chapter out of it! :-)**


	12. Encounter

**Chapter 11 – Encounter**

"I heard you told the others about that night."

Ducking under a low down branch, Sakura glanced up at Itachi as he walked by her side, also doing the same thing. "I did." she replied quietly. "What Gaara told me…"

"Even though he told you the story to his past, it does not mean you owe him anything."

"No, it wasn't that I felt like I owed him something." Sakura told him with a small smile. "I felt… comfortable. Talking to him, I mean. Gaara understands the feeling of fear, he knows the fear of being rejected and hated and looked at with disgust." She shook her head. "I didn't go into detail – I couldn't. Whilst I _do_ feel comfortable with him, I don't feel as comfortable as I do with you. I–"

Itachi suddenly stopped, his arm blocking Sakura from going forward and making her frown in confusion. However, just as she opened her mouth and was about to ask what he was doing, she saw his sharingan activating, saw something in him snap when his entire body stiffened.

And then, Itachi was pulling Sakura closer to him until she was partly behind him. "Stay behind me, Sakura."

"What's going on?" she demanded.

Instead of answering her, Itachi kept his hard eyes on the biggest trees that were to their far left, his sharingan following some sort of movement considering the fact that Itachi's eyes shifted slightly to the right. She saw nothing. She heard nothing.

"Come out." he ordered calmly, voice blank and never raising to more than an indoor voice.

How could he be so calm when…

Sakura felt her body stiffen as three people left the trees, as she felt a spike of anger and hatred in Itachi's emotions.

When…

"I see you sensed us."

"You were attempting to sneak up on us." Itachi murmured smoothly. "Do you have a death wish, Orochimaru?"

When Orochimaru was currently standing before them?

So this was Orochimaru. Sakura barely repressed a shudder. This was the man – no, not a man. The thing standing before her was definitely not human. He seemed more like a snake. One of those white snakes – just as pale, just as ugly and just as sly. That wasn't the only thing about him that resembled a snake. His voice also had the same hiss as a snake's. There was also his eyes. Cold, hard, yet so very terrifying. They were a golden amber colour and even though Itachi and the other Uchiha (as well as Kakashi) were the ones with the special eyes, Sakura could have sworn that those eyes of Orochimaru's could have skinned her alive.

"What's this?" the man beside Orochimaru asked, a taunting smirk on his lips. "A playmate of yours, Itachi–san?"

Playmate? Sakura gritted her teeth.

"What are you doing so close to Uchiha territory?" Itachi questioned. He refused to be riled up and refused to be taunted. Yes, it angered him, but he did not show. Why? Because there were three enemies in front of them and whilst Itachi knew he would have no trouble with dispatching the two lackeys, he would need to focus slightly with Orochimaru due to his mind tricks. If he took on the two lackeys, that would leave Sakura vulnerable and Orochimaru would no doubt take advantage of that. If he focused only on Orochimaru, the other two would attack her. "You're being reckless, Orochimaru. After our last encounter, any member of my clan would gladly slaughter you for what you did."

Something flashed in the woman's eyes by his side, stunning Sakura for a moment. Affection? Longing? Did this redhead have a thing for Itachi? It took a moment to calm herself as a hot rage swelled within Sakura, turning her vision red for a moment.

A nasty smirk was on the pale man's lips as he hissed out, "Would _you_?"

Not a single muscle in Itachi's face twitched other than the movements his lips made. "Without hesitation."

"And what would your mate think of that?" the other man questioned and raised a silver eyebrow. "Seeing you kill?"

"She would be glad to know that bastards like you no longer walk the earth." Sakura snapped in return, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Careful." the redhead retorted coldly, her ruby eyes fierce. "Those are fighting words."

"Stay out of this, Sakura."

Fresh apple green eyes snapped up to the back of Itachi's head, widening. "Itachi–"

He cut her off. "You are not to be involved in this. Remember your promise to Sasuke."

Once more, something flashed in the redhead's eyes, but not only hers. All three of their eyes flashed and a cold feeling ran down Sakura's spine. It was the same longing in the redhead's eyes as earlier, but there was a pure anger in the silver haired man's. In Orochimaru's… Sakura couldn't even understand the emotion. Whatever it was, however, made her feel sick to her stomach.

"How is, Sasuke–kun?"

"We heard that he was–"

"Quiet, Kabuto."

That anger returned, although only for a split second.

So _that_ was why Kabuto didn't like Sasuke. Clearly, Orochimaru _did_ like him and Kabuto was jealous of that. Sick bastards.

One of Itachi's eyebrows raised, but only fractionally. "You know how he is, considering you have been watching my clan and those temporarily with us for a while now."

Orochimaru shifted in his step, the sight of movement causing Sakura's breath to catch and her eyebrows to pinch together. Was he going to attack? It would be stupid of him to do that though, wouldn't it? Or would it? Itachi had just reminded her of a promise made to Sasuke, the promise that he would soon be stronger and capable of taking Orochimaru on. But that was a mash up of both her own and Itachi's promises. The point was that… Would Itachi fight if Orochimaru attacked? Would he kill the snake–like man?

"For somebody as powerful as yourself, you're not doing much to stop that, are you?" the redhead said rather suspiciously, narrowing her eyes. "I can sense your chakra, Uchiha Itachi. I can sense just how strong you are. Why are you not stopping Orochimaru–sama?"

Not a single muscle on the pale skinned man's face twitched, even though he had pretty much just had his own lackey say that Itachi was stronger than him.

"This is my brother's revenge." His voice was smooth again, just as deep as it always was. "However, make no mistake, Orochimaru, because if Sasuke was not so eager to defeat you, I would have killed you myself long ago."

"You–"

He cut Orochimaru and his lackeys off, shifting in his stance. "Saying that, though… If you continue to chase after the secrets of my clan, if you continue to try and obtain the sharingan, I will ignore Sasuke's wishes and I will come after you. Is that understood?"

Golden eyes narrowed fractionally. "I make no promises, Uchiha Itachi."

"Then you will die either by my brother's hand, or my own."

It was there that an unsaid agreement was set up.

If Orochimaru continued to obsess over Sasuke and the sharingan (which he had stated without many words that he would), Itachi would kill him.

But only if Sasuke didn't get the bastard first.

"Come, Sakura." Itachi told her, turning around and looking down at her. "We still need to hunt."

Her eyes widened, but seeing the silent warning in his eyes that was telling her not to argue with him, Sakura nodded once, glaring over at the three before turning and walking away. Itachi never moved from being directly behind her, protecting her just in case of any attacks.

* * *

"That was… intense."

Itachi sighed, watching Sakura as she cleared the area of any evidence from their hunt. "Forgive me for acting so rudely."

His voice was blank, but she could feel the genuine apology in his emotions, which had Sakura also sighing and turning to face him. "It was degrading being brushed off like that, but I get your reasons, Itachi. You didn't want me to fight."

"I don't." he agreed. "Until Sasuke is well enough to travel and until we have tracked down Tsunade–sama, you cannot fight, Sakura. You need to learn how to control that strength." Moving over to her, he grabbed one hand and raised it between them, making a fist with her hand. "I know you could have defeated the woman, though. It would have been a challenge for you because of her sensing abilities, but not so much that you would struggle with her. She is no fighter."

"And the man?" Sakura asked and raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I couldn't defeat a whiny brat like him?"

He smirked at that. Kabuto, a whiny brat? That was not something Itachi had heard before. A second later, however, and that smirk slipped away. "I am. He is a witch just like Orochimaru, and knows things you don't, Sakura, such as powerful jutsu. Not just ordinary jutsu, but also medical jutsu. However, he does not use his medical ninjutsu for good – he uses it for experimentation and other unforgivable acts such as that."

Sighing again, Sakura looked up at Itachi with a frown. "What does Orochimaru want with Sasuke? I understand why he wants the sharingan, but why does he want _Sasuke_? Is it some kind of creepy stalker thing?"

There was silence and for a moment, she was certain that Itachi wasn't going to answer, that he had probably gone off into his thoughts and not even heard her question. Half a minute later and Itachi was speaking words that had her feeling ice cold. "Orochimaru wishes to take over Sasuke's body. It is how he has survived this long. They are known as 'vessels'. I would say that each vessel lasts for around three years depending on how strong the body is. If it is a particularly powerful vessel, then it can last at least ten to fifteen years."

"And Sasuke's growing more powerful every day." Sakura whispered, her stomach feeling like a lump of ice when Itachi nodded. "Itachi… I understand if you don't want to tell me because it's extremely private to him, but what did Orochimaru do to Sasuke to damage him so badly? It's… It's…"

"Painful to witness?"

Sakura nodded. "I haven't even known him that long, but I can see what you see in him, Itachi. Sasuke… He's your little brother! Even though he doesn't seem like it anymore, there's still that little boy inside him, isn't there?"

The small smile that pulled at Itachi's lips for only a second pained her greatly. "He is. And what happened to my brother wasn't pleasant, Sakura. When the rest of my clan, including myself, returned… The sight that we returned to has haunted us ever since." Sitting down and leaning back against a large tree, Itachi closed his eyes and breathed deeply, sensing that Sakura also sat down beside him on the grass which was covered by leaves. "It was like returning to a child, in some ways. A haunted, broken child who didn't know what to do with himself. Sasuke was inconsolable."

Only when Sakura held his hand did Itachi open his eyes again, grateful for the comfort the seemingly simple touch brought him. "For days, Sasuke just… sat in a corner. Frozen. He wouldn't answer any of us, wouldn't acknowledge us. It was on the sixth day that he finally started moving, but only just. The only movement he made was rocking backwards and forth, whispering to himself. None of us could understand a single word that he was saying. Not even with our hearing. Then, on the eighth day, Sasuke… Sasuke snapped."

When nothing more was said, Sakura cupped his cheek softly and turned his head to the side, meeting his eyes with a tender look. "How did he snap?"

"Violently." he murmured and it was like Sakura could see the memories flashing in Itachi's eyes as he relived them. "He tore the entire house apart. Attacked my father and tore his leg off when he tried to subdue him, attacked and attempted to rip out Shisui's eyes when he tried to use a paralysing genjutsu on him," It had been whilst Shisui was adjusting to his sharingan, so he hadn't been as powerful with genjutsu as he was now, "and when I tried to stop him, he screamed that I was a murderer. Told me that it was my fault everyone was dead."

A frown settled on her features. "…What?"

He sighed, grateful for the gentle breeze that blew through the opening in the trees, stirring up the leaves on the ground. It also drifted Sakura's soothing scent to him, helping him in calmly sharing such a horrific memory. "Exactly. None of us could understand a word he was saying. All Sasuke kept repeating was that I had killed everyone and for that, he was going to kill _me_." A pause. "Do you remember on the day you woke up, how Sasuke took a few moments of pause when he looked at me?" Slowly, Sakura nodded. "It still effects him, Sakura. That madness still calls to him. Some days are better than others, but not all can be good days. Sometimes it takes him hours to work out what is real and what isn't real. Sometimes it only takes seconds." Once again, Itachi sighed. "I will never forget the hatred in his eyes when he looked at me and I will never be able to forget the way he continuously tried to kill me. It took all of us to stop him. _All_ of us."

"B–But that doesn't make any sense… you and Shisui–"

"Are more powerful than he is, yes. However, when Sasuke is being overtaken with his rage, it… It is almost as though it gives him more power. There are downsides to it, of course. An example of that would be the fact that he cannot think clearly when in a rage. However, it makes him a more unpredictable fighter. Everything we had ever learned about his fighting technique meant absolutely nothing to us in those moments, because he was an entirely different person."

Sakura bit her lip. "And that's the reason why Sasuke wants to kill Orochimaru. For doing this to him."

Itachi shook his head and was silent for a few moments before speaking. "When we finally managed to calm him, when Sasuke finally realised that I hadn't killed anyone, he told us that he wanted to kill Orochimaru. Not because of the insanity that he planted inside of his head. It is because of the hatred he put there. The hatred for _me_. Growing up, it was no secret that Sasuke looked up to me. Even whilst I was dying he acted like I was so much better than everyone else. Sasuke… hated himself, for hating me. But he hated Orochimaru so much more for planting those thoughts into his head."

That brother bond again. It was so strong. "And Sasuke would never be able to forgive himself if he one day lost control completely and killed you."

"No, he wouldn't."

Moving closer, Sakura wrapped her arms around one of Itachi's and rested her head on his shoulder. "As soon as we find Tsunade–sama, I'm going to ask her for help. Try and find some kind of cure for Sasuke. It's not fair on anyone, but especially not on him. Being constantly on edge, wondering when he's next going to lose control…" Sakura shook her head sadly. "I promise, Itachi, I'm going to help Sasuke."

He gave a small, tired smile. "Thank you, hime."

* * *

They didn't tell anybody about their encounter with Orochimaru, although Sakura was certain that Shisui somehow knew. Not a lot got by him, after all. Other than possibly Shisui knowing, however, nobody else knew and they both hoped to keep it that way. The others would demand to know why Itachi hadn't killed Orochimaru there and then, whilst it would send Sasuke off into a fit of rage knowing that the snake was so close.

It had been a week since then and during that time, nothing had happened between her and Itachi. Well, not until tonight it hadn't. He'd been watching her closely and watching her emotions, she knew that, but just couldn't understand why. It wasn't until tonight that Itachi murmured to her that the fear was well and truly out of her, stunning Sakura for a few moments. No, she wasn't over it, but since their last try, it had been slightly difficult for her to keep calm, especially whenever somebody touched her.

And now here they were.

Spreading her legs further apart at his insistence, Sakura had to refrain from pulling away and biting her lip nervously as Itachi stroked her thighs and hips, deepening the kiss to keep her distracted. It was definitely working, especially as their tongues entwined, sensually teasing and gliding against the other's. Her breathing was a little quicker than usual and if her heart was still beating, it would be going impossibly fast right now. The quick breathing stopped for a moment as Itachi gently pulled her leggings down by a few inches.

"Itachi–"

"Do you trust me, Sakura?" His hot breath washed over her, clouding her mind. "I will not hurt you."

She nodded, her hold on his arms tightening as Itachi left her leggings half pulled down her legs until they reached mid thigh and reached for her underwear. Like only moments before, her breathing hitched as his fingers traced the waistband, following the lacy pattern around the edges. The movement had her hypnotized and Sakura watched with a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty as he finally reached his destination. A gasp escaped her and her hips bucked softly at the feeling of Itachi's finger firmly running along the length of her slit.

Wide, hazy eyes snapped to Itachi's, focusing entirely on the emotions she could see in his eyes. It was rare of him to show emotion and when he did so, Sakura always made sure to take advantage. She loved it when Itachi expressed his emotions, when he showed her how he was feeling. Right now, his eyes were warm with tenderness and love, yet half–lidded with lust and hunger.

He kept up a languid pace of stroking her through her underwear, his touch teasing yet firm so that Sakura could grow used to the feeling.

She bit her lip and stared down at him for a moment until Sakura shifted in her position and lowered herself slightly. "Itachi," Her nervousness was obvious, but she shoved it aside and forced herself to be more confident, "can I touch you?"

The hunger in his eyes doubled.

"Are you sure?"

Instead of answering, Sakura's fingers trailed down his chest and to the buttons of his pants, unbuttoning and unzipping them slowly. Whether it was to build the already unbearable tension, or to… She didn't know what she was even thinking about. Itachi raised his hips for her, aiding Sakura in pulling his pants and underwear down just enough to free him, his eyes darkening. They only continued to darken when the tips of Sakura's fingers brushed along his length and it took everything in him not to shift, not to buck his hips demandingly despite his body fighting to do so.

He would not push her. Instead, Itachi tried his best to remain calm and patient, watching her through lidded eyes. However, the instinctual bucking of his hips could not be helped when she finally wrapped her small hand around him, her eyes snapping up to his at the quiet groan that escaped him.

Sakura bit her lip and gave an experimental tug, noticing how he had stopped teasing her now that he was distracted.

But then Itachi came back to himself and pressed a lingering kiss to her collarbone, taking a moment to suck on the skin there before his fingers were moving again. Although this time, they did not rub her through her underwear. They were instead working on removing said underwear. Slowly, just in case she changed her mind. She did not. And the second they were around her thighs, Sakura's arousal hit him at full force and Itachi bit back a growl.

The beast in him was trying to take control, trying to make him hurry up and claim her.

Pressing her face into his neck and squeezing her eyes shut, Sakura tried to ignore the surge of panic that flooded her at the feeling of his fingers grazing her heat. No man had ever touched her the way he was currently doing so, not even her rapists. They'd merely taken turns with taking her roughly.

Forcing herself to relax and instead focus on the feelings Itachi was experiencing through their bond, Sakura slowly opened her eyes and breathed out slowly. She could do this. Just this small little thing. Once she'd proved to herself that it wasn't like when they had attacked her, it would become easier. She just had to prove that to herself.

Lifting her face from his neck, Sakura pressed her forehead to his. It made it easier seeing his eyes, made her know for sure that it was Itachi touching her, and not those vile men.

And as one of Itachi's fingers gently slid inside of her, making sure to take it slowly, Sakura felt herself growing slightly more sure. Her hand paused in the rhythm she had been keeping up, a low moan slipping through her lips. It was such a strange sensation and a few minutes after, as Itachi slowly got her ready for it, another finger was added, increasing her building pleasure.

Her back arched, pushing her chest against his, and her hips bucked into his hand.

"I–Itachi…"

His eyes felt heavy as they lifted to look into hers. "Do you want me to stop?"

Oh God how was it even possible for his voice to sound even deeper, even smoother? "No… No don't stop. But I… I…"

Realising that she was having difficulty speaking due to him breaking up her sentences with kisses, Itachi smirked softly and allowed her to speak. "Yes, hime?"

"Wouldn't it be more comfortable… on the bed?"

He stopped all movement. "Sakura, are you sure?"

She whimpered at the loss, but still nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Just… Can we go slowly?"

"As slowly as you want." Itachi murmured, removing his fingers from within her so that she could stand. He watched her for a moment, watched not only her movements, but also her eyes. He paid close attention to her emotions. The last thing he wanted was to cause Sakura any pain.

His decision was made only seconds later.

Standing up, Itachi cupped her cheek and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Not today, Sakura." Her eyes snapped to his, widening, and feeling her emotions, her hurt and confusion, he sighed. "I am not rejecting you. I would _never_ reject you. It is simply that your reasons for wanting to go further are wrong. It shouldn't be something you feel as though you have to do. If we are together in such a way, I don't want it to be meaningless or forced."

"But–"

"I have too much respect for you to do such a thing, hime." Itachi murmured to her, trying to make her see things from his perspective. "If you force yourself to do this, you will not be overcoming your fear. You will be giving yourself to it."

Sakura looked pained as she stared up at him. "But I want to be with you that way."

He gave her a gentle smile. "And I want nothing more than to give myself to you completely, but not yet. Not until you are completely ready. I can feel everything you feel, Sakura, just like you can feel everything I can. Remember that."

And when he felt a huge wave of relief coming from Sakura, Itachi knew that he had made the right decision.

* * *

It was quite some time later when Itachi found himself doing a perimeter run with Shisui, the pair of them near silent as they did so. They'd been taking up the responsibility of doing the perimeter runs more and more often lately, due to the risk of Orochimaru being around. All of them knew that the snake was not to be underestimated. In a purely physical battle, the two Uchiha men knew that they wouldn't lose against such a monster. However, Orochimaru had ways of turning the tables and taking the upper hand. It was how he managed to mess Sasuke up psychologically.

His mind techniques.

Like Itachi had warned Sakura all those months back, witches could read minds, but the more powerful ones could ensnare the mind and pretty much do whatever they wanted with it. The sharingan gave them some help with seeing through Orochimaru's tricks, but not entirely. It certainly wouldn't effect Itachi or Shisui as much as it had Sasuke, but those tricks would still effect them on some level depending on the intensity of them.

Sighing as they returned from the run, Shisui turned to him and gave Itachi a serious look. "Sasuke will be fully healed in just a few days."

"I know."

"Itachi…" There was a pause. "Are you sure about this? About leaving the clan?"

"I am." Itachi answered without hesitation. "I'm not disowning the clan and the clan is not disowning me. I am merely going my own way for an uncertain amount of time. Who knows? It could take Sakura mere months to learn everything Tsunade–sama teaches her. You have seen how fast she picks things up."

The older Uchiha gave a reluctant smirk. "It's going to be strange not having you or Sasuke around. Sakura, too."

He couldn't help but smile at his cousin. Ever since discovering his illness, Shisui had always been extremely close to the family and was more like a brother than a cousin. He hadn't wanted to miss a single moment with Itachi, and had wanted to be there for the rest of the family when they lost him. After being changed, Shisui had remained with them and Itachi was glad that he had. He was somebody Itachi knew he could confide in and trust, knew that Shisui would always have his back. They were best friends and Itachi wasn't even going to deny that he'd miss him.

"We will be back before you know it."

"Don't think I won't be checking in on you!" Shisui suddenly smirked, a knowing look in his eyes. "Any day, at any time, I could just transport to you and–"

Itachi's eyes actually widened. "Shisui–"

"So Mikoto–san _was_ right!" he laughed, patting Itachi on the back as they entered the hideout and prepared themselves for the traps. "I'm glad you're helping her through this, Itachi."

He didn't want to know how his mother knew. The fact that he and Sakura were getting to know each other on a more intimate level should be between himself and Sakura, and nobody else. Knowing that not only his mother knew, but she had been speaking about it to Shisui, was rather uncomfortable.

The journey through the traps was done quietly and quickly and before they even knew it, Itachi's hands were flying through the seals and opening the door for them. The warmth was the first thing to welcome them home, but the sight that they returned to had both men pausing.

Sakura had fallen asleep on her side on the sofa, but instead of it being just her, Mikoto was there, too. The younger woman's head was resting in her lap and there was a soft smile on the Uchiha's face as she gently ran one of her hands through pink hair, admiring the pastel shade of it and the softness. Opposite them on the other sofa, sat Sasuke. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd been out of bed since losing his arm, but he usually chose to remain in his bedroom after showering, so that he didn't have to interact with the others. Right at that moment in time there was a book being held in his hand, but every so often, the movements across from him would catch Sasuke's attention and he'd simply watch as Mikoto stared down at Sakura's peaceful sleep with a warm look, as she played with her hair.

"Sakura–chan was exhausted." Mikoto spoke quietly as she sensed her son and Shisui entering the room, the door shutting behind them. Thankfully, the harsh scraping sound did not wake Sakura up. "Barely even capable of keeping her eyes open. When was the last time she slept, Itachi?"

Silently, they made their way around the sofas and took each of Sasuke's sides. One glance at the book told them both that Sasuke was preparing himself for the battle against Orochimaru. It was about his sharingan, and how he could counter mind techniques with it. The book was ancient and Itachi could recall reading it himself a long time ago. He'd given it to his brother just the other night, when Sakura was telling the story of her past to the others. "A week or so."

The look his mother shot his way was disapproving. "She's still young, so–"

"I cannot force her to sleep if she doesn't want to."

That was true. Sighing, Mikoto went back to calmly brushing Sakura's hair with her fingers. It had a relaxing effect on all of them. "You've been exhausting her, Itachi–chan."

Whenever his mother called him 'Itachi–chan' it always meant that he was being teased. "Mother–"

The smirk on her face was unmistakable, making Shisui also smirk whilst Sasuke sighed and tried to ignore them. "Don't worry, it isn't that noticeable."

Sasuke scoffed, though immediately wished that he stayed silent when Itachi glanced down at him and raised an eyebrow. "…The smell." he said reluctantly after a few moments. "It's very noticeable."

A tinkling laughter sounded, telling them that Mikoto was highly amused. "Oh, Naruto–kun's reaction every time he picks up that scent."

"It's kind of understandable, though." Shisui defended him, refusing to meet Itachi's eyes. "Her scent is hard to ignore."

"Sakura is–"

"Has always been yours, we know." Sasuke grunted, keeping his eyes on the page. "Mother is merely pointing out the fact that the others aren't immune to her. Even Kakashi and Gaara are effected by Sakura, nii–san."

Yes, he'd already noticed that, but it seemed his Sakura was too innocent to notice the discreet glances, the watchful eyes. The hunger in those eyes. It was why Gaara's clan had been so forward in wanting her, why Kakashi had openly flirted with her when he first met her. Both had stopped when they saw that Sakura was with him, but those looks were still there. The _want_ was still there.

Instead of replying, he kept his eyes on Sakura's features. She seemed so relaxed and at peace and through their bond, it felt like she was floating down a stream. No negative feelings were bothering her. Whatever Sakura was dreaming about, it was pleasant to her. Even without the bond, Itachi would have been able to tell that. It was in the small smile on her lips.

"Itachi," Mikoto sighed, happy to see the warmth in his eyes since they were usually empty, "I'm glad that you saved Sakura–chan."

"Even if it means leaving?"

There was a pause and during that pause, Itachi's eyes languidly swept from Sakura's features, to his mother's. Sadness was obvious in her eyes, but the acceptance was greater. "When you were diagnosed with your illness, I never thought I would be able to see you like this. I know… that it's not the way a mother would want her child to live, as an unnatural being, but… You're happy, for the first time in such a long time. This is all I have ever wanted for you, Itachi. Not dying before your twenty–first birthday. Not being diagnosed with some incurable disease. _This_. Love, affection and happiness. Those are three of many, _many_ things that I have always wanted you to experience." she gave him a small smile. "That is why I'm accepting your temporary leave. As a human, you never had the chance to experience any of that, but now is your chance. You have it already. You just need to explore, now. Explore your heart, explore Sakura–chan's…"

He gave a soft smirk. "You are more of a hopeless romantic than Sakura is."

"She's right, though." Shisui commented, raising a brow. "There are _a lot_ of things you haven't experienced yet, due to either being too ill, or being too wary of trusting others–"

"If this is another remark about my–"

"Even Sasuke–chan here has experienced more of life than you have, Itachi."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Shisui, leave me out of this."

The oldest Uchiha male chuckled, nudging his cousin. "What's wrong, Sasuke–chan? Don't tell me you're a prude despite all that you've done."

If he had still been human, Sasuke knew for a fact that his face would have been tomato red. To make matters worse, his mother was listening in on their conversation with a teasing look in her eyes.

"Why have we never met your woman, Sasuke?" Mikoto asked.

"Because she isn't my woman." he growled in return, his hold on the book tightening. "It was before we'd been changed." and a few times after that. "She's dead now."

Silence.

Itachi frowned. "Sasuke–"

"She got old and died. I didn't kill her myself." Sasuke sighed, no longer pretending to try and read his book even though his eyes didn't leave it for a moment. "Married some guy, had a few kids and grandchildren, then died."

"Why didn't you ever change her, Sasuke?" his mother asked gently. "We would have welcomed her in the same way we welcomed Sakura–chan. If–"

He shook his head. "I didn't feel anything like that for her. What Itachi feels for Sakura… It's a lot more than what I felt for that woman." Just as Mikoto opened her mouth, he finally looked up at her with a blank look. "Leave it, mother. It's in the past."

She sighed and shook her head. "You're going to have to let somebody in all the way one day, Sasuke. The same way your father has let me in, the way Itachi has let Sakura–chan in." He remained silent. "That is what love is all about. Acceptance. If you–"

Sasuke stood up abruptly, snarling to himself as he dropped his book to the ground and went back to his bedroom.

Mikoto sighed. "Was I too pushy?"

"Don't worry about him." Shisui gave her a small smile. "Sasuke's probably just feeling restless."

He was. Itachi watched after his brother even as the door was slammed shut. Sasuke was feeling restless and he honestly couldn't blame him. His hand was almost completely regenerated now. A few more days and he'd be fully regenerated. That meant the three of them (himself, Sasuke and Sakura) would be leaving the clan in search of Tsunade.

Itachi hoped they were both ready.

* * *

Four and a half days later, when Sakura and Itachi were sitting peacefully in their bedroom on the sofa, the door slammed open, surprising them for a moment. Fortunately, they were not in any inappropriate position. Sakura was simply leaning against him as they both read their own books.

"Naruto–kun," Itachi said patiently, even though on the inside, he was annoyed, "you must knock before entering somebody's bedroom."

Had they been intimate, it would have had a negative effect on Sakura. The way she was with him, how hesitant she was to take her clothes off, told Itachi that she didn't enjoy the thought of being naked around others. With him, she was getting used to the feeling, but others? No. And Itachi couldn't blame her, as he didn't want anybody else to see his woman naked, either.

Itachi paused for a split second. _His_ woman?

"We're leaving!" Naruto announced, not paying any attention to Itachi's warning.

Sakura dropped her book onto her lap and frowned. "You're not travelling with us?"

"We are." At Sakura's demanding scowl, he continued quickly with a grin. "Sasuke's arm is completely healed!"

Her mouth fell open in shock.

Naruto's grin widened brightly. "We're going to find Tsunade–baa–chan!"


	13. Finally

**Chapter 12 – Finally**

"Take care of yourself, Sakura–san." Rin smiled down at her, handing her a pouch. "There's some medical supplies in here that you can use, if you need to. You won't really need to use them on one of these guys, but it's just in case you pass somebody who may need help." Opening the pouch, she showed her a scroll. "This was my first medical scroll, so it's a little old, but on it are many techniques and jutsu that will help you when studying under Tsunade–sama."

Nodding her thanks and smiling warmly in return, Sakura put the pouch inside of her backpack. "So what are you going to do now?"

The brunette glanced up at the two men stood on either side of her, regarding each of them for a moment. She turned back to Sakura with a smile. "I think we're going to wait out the storm for a little while longer. Mikoto–san has informed us of another hideout, one that even Orochimaru shouldn't know about. Shisui–san is going to transport us there some time in the next few days."

"You'll be safe there." the younger woman smiled, genuinely happy to hear those words. "I… I really hope this won't be the last time I see you all." she told them honestly. "We've only known each other a short while, I know, but…"

Rin smiled just as warmly. "I look forward to meeting you again, Sakura–san. Make sure you have a lot to tell me."

"I will."

It was Kakashi who spoke up next, placing his hand on her shoulder and pulling her away ever so slightly from the other two, confusing Sakura. When he reached into his pocket, that confusion shifted into embarrassed surprise and she knew that, should she have still been human, she would have been blushing.

"Here." Kakashi offered her an eye crease, holding out a familiar orange book. "For the journey."

"I–I can't read _that_! It's porn!"

"It's–" he cut himself off, brushing aside his annoyance. It had become a 'thing', of sorts, for them to discuss his reading material. To put it simply, Sakura thought he was a pervert, while he was trying to show her that _Icha Icha_ was not just about sex. Kakashi's smile slipped into a smirk and he leaned a little closer, lowering his voice so it would be harder for the others in the next room to pick up on it. "Since I can smell Itachi–san quite strongly on you, I _know_ that this book will come in handy. It's not porn like you think it is," he added, noticing her outrage, "it's about connections. Just give it a try and if you don't like it, then that's your opinion."

Even though their backs were to them, Rin couldn't help but sigh with annoyance and shake her head, whilst Obito smirked and rolled his eyes, deciding to help his childhood friend and rival. "It will also give you bonus points when you find Jiraiya–sama, Sakura–san. If Tsunade–sama needs a little… persuasion, to take you on as her student, then Jiraiya–sama will be able to do so easily. Telling him how great his book is, will help you – especially if those words come from you."

Reluctantly, after thinking about it for a few moments, Sakura accepted the small, orange book as Kakashi pushed it gently into her hand, shoving it into her backpack hurriedly just in case anyone else saw.

"It seems they've both given you gifts." Obito realised, also realising that he was the only one of his clan not to do so. He gave her a small smirk. "I don't have enough sharingan to keep handing them out. You're a wind user, right?" Sakura nodded. Something flashed in his single eye. An idea, most likely. "Here." Obito murmured, reaching into his pocket and taking a scroll. At the sight of it, the other two members of his clan watched with wide eyes, already knowing what was inside of it due to the colouring of the scroll. "This will definitely be useful to you. Open it when you have the chance to train and not a moment before." A pause. Another smirk. "Also, make sure you watch Itachi–san's expression when you release what is inside from the scroll. I have no doubts that it will amusing."

"And why is that?"

Seeing Obito tense slightly was amusing, although he masked his startled expression easily. "You'll see eventually, Itachi–san." He gave another smirk to Sakura. "Good luck with your training, Sakura–chan."

Rin and Kakashi both smiled down at her, also wishing her luck.

After saying her final goodbyes to the clan and placing the scroll carefully into her backpack, Sakura followed Itachi out of the hideout, where everyone else was waiting outside.

Despite being outside every now and then with Itachi, it felt like Sakura had only just gone outside since arriving at the hideout. Did Sasuke feel the same way? There was no way of telling. He was watching the area around them with a blank expression, though she could see the tension in his shoulders.

He was looking for Orochimaru.

The sun was shining brightly down on them all and Sakura took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air that was uncontaminated by anything, enjoying the sounds of birds singing and other wildlife. They were the only people around for miles, and there was no electricity in the forest. Had this been before Sakura was changed, she would have been utterly horrified by the lack of internet, or television, or even music! However, it made a nice change. It made you socialise and get to know others better.

Around them the trees rustled as a light breeze brushed through the clearing, causing stray leaves and petals to fly up into the air. And as her eyes followed them, Sakura couldn't help but smile softly at the fact that it was a cloudless day, the sky a beautiful shade of blue. So much for winter, but then again, they were apparently rather close to Suna – literally in the middle of Suna and Konoha. The weather was bound to be a lot warmer.

"Do you have everything you need?" Mikoto asked gently.

It made Sakura feel saddened to be leaving Mikoto and not only leaving the woman, but also taking both of her sons with her, too. However, while Sakura had played a major part in Itachi's decision to stay by her side, she had nothing to do with Sasuke's decision. He wanted to stay with his brother, wanted to be trained by him so that he was definitely ready to take on Orochimaru. The moment it was all over, Sakura had no doubts that Sasuke would return to the clan. Who knows? Perhaps she and Itachi would, too.

"We do." Itachi answered before then going on to telling her, "Shisui and I have already discussed what is to happen should Orochimaru linger around here."

When the other members of the clan glanced at Shisui, who was standing beside Fugaku, he continued where Itachi had left off. "Together, we have all decided what will be happening with Obito–san and his clan." They nodded. "However what we didn't discuss with you both, Mikoto–san, Fugaku–san, is that the three of us will also be moving."

Sasuke's eyes snapped from the edge of the clearing and over to Shisui, narrowing as they did so. "Is it really wise to talk about such things while out here?"

There was a pause, one where Shisui seemed to be in thought, before he replied, "Orochimaru is not around. Neither are any of his lackeys."

"We should still be cautious." Gaara muttered from his place against a tree.

He seemed bored as he leaned against it with his arms folded over his chest. If the look in his eyes meant anything as they languidly swept from admiring the view, to Shisui's, meant anything, then he was definitely bored. That was no surprise. For months now, they had all been limited to many things, including how far they could travel from the hideout. That meant that, unless people were rather foolishly straying through the forest, then they had to stick to animal blood.

Yes, she and Itachi had managed to slip into the town only ten miles from the hideout but they had had to take precautions when doing so. Not only that, but Itachi had also had an ulterior motive for taking Sakura into town. Not just to test her restraint, but also to get a look at the possible hunts. By the end of the day he had concluded that the town was much too small for twelve vampires (not including Sakura) to make hunt there. It was the kind of town that was incredibly close. Like, for example, should one of them suddenly become hospitalised, then the whole town would be talking about it within the hour.

It was difficult enough for Rin to take away as much donation blood as she had without depleting their supplies too much. There had only been enough to feed Sasuke and even then, he'd had to pace himself and ration the blood after a while.

"He's right." Fugaku sighed after a couple of moments. Dropping his arms to his sides, he nodded once to his sons. "We will find a way to contact you later on this evening." Then, his eyes drifted to Sakura's, making her inwardly wary, though she refused to show it. "Good luck with your training, Sakura." It surprised her greatly when he smirked at her. "And try to keep my sons out of trouble."

She couldn't help but grin in reply.

* * *

They had been on the move for hours now, running for what felt like an eternity.

After focusing hard on the bond he shared with Tsunade, Itachi had began to lead the way with Sakura and Sasuke flanking him. Behind them was the Sabaku clan and Naruto. They had to be on guard every second they travelled, had to be wary of hunters passing them by or worse, Orochimaru.

The snake–like man was nowhere to be seen.

As they ran, Sakura noticed how different parts of the forest looked when they passed by a particular village. There was that one a few hours back, the one that was so rightly called 'Sin City' because of all the drugs, alcohol, gambling and prostitutes. There'd barely even been a forest around that village, everything having been polluted and ruined by all of the chemicals and smoke in the air. It had reeked of stale alcohol and sex, so much so that it had made Sakura's stomach churn viciously.

"Fuzen Machi." Itachi had murmured to her over his shoulder, noticing her attention being drawn to it.

"It's not a pleasant place, as you can probably already tell." Temari added. "Neutral territory, completely free of any leaders or whatever, but that's the city's downfall. It's overrun now with… questionable characters."

Hearing her pause, how it sounded as though the sentence was changed halfway through, had Sakura frowning softly. "Questionable? You mean like… thugs?"

"Partly." Kankuro sighed in reply for his sister. "It's not called 'Sin City' for nothing."

The conversation had ended there, with Sasuke reaching over and fixing the hood on Sakura's cloak, making sure that her hair was covered. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Gaara did the same, as well as Naruto. Those three had the brightest hair of them all, and were most likely to draw attention to them should somebody see a dash of either pink, red or the brightness of Naruto's blond hair, flashing through the trees. It would only bring them unwanted attention and Sasuke was in no mood for it. After a moment, as a just in case, Temari also fixed her hood over her hair.

She'd never travelled in such a way before. If Sakura had previously travelled through forests (for long distances) then she had walked at a steady pace, being careful not to overdo it or tire herself out so quickly (due to still being human). Now? Now it felt as though she had an unlimited supply of energy, like she didn't have to be wary of using too much. Each leap from one branch to another cleared at least an entire minute of walking. It was insane! Almost like she was flying through the trees!

In a strange way, Sakura felt free. It was difficult to explain, but running (or leaping) like she currently was, gliding through the trees after spending so long staying within the same area and never straying too far, was… It was something else. Even though they couldn't break their formation, even though they had to run at a constant, equal pace, she felt free.

With his back to everyone else, Itachi allowed a small smile to pull at his lips, enjoying Sakura's happiness like it was his own.

The wind picked up, threatening to yank her hood down, but Sakura held onto it, glancing over her shoulder to see if the others were still keeping theirs up, too. They were. However, she paused at the look on Temari's face, the content. It was almost as though she was greeting an old friend, in a way. Then again the wind was a part of the blonde, it _was_ her friend.

"We will stop here." Itachi spoke, his voice no louder than a murmur.

Going by Sakura's chakra levels, they would need to take a break soon. He didn't want to exhaust her too much on her first long distance trip, not when they would be passing through Konoha once more. They all needed to stay focused, to be wary of wasting their chakra. Should they encounter a threat, Itachi wanted to be certain that Sakura would be capable of defending herself. The others seemed to agree (on the saving _all_ of their chakra – not just Sakura's) as they followed Itachi higher up into the large trees without another word, each of them finding somewhere to rest up and concealing themselves.

Itachi and Sakura sat side by side on the highest branch, one that gave them the ability to look up at the dark sky. It would have been pitch black, had it not been for the stars and the moon.

"I remember why I wanted to travel so much, now." Sakura murmured, her eyes glued to the stars. "It makes me feel so light and free."

It took away the feeling of being trapped – something that had been difficult to avoid or overcome ever since she was raped. Itachi knew what she was talking about and he didn't take offence, or feel like it was his fault. That particular feeling had absolutely nothing to do with anything he'd done. If anything Sakura was extremely grateful to him for bringing her new life, for giving her a second chance at life.

"You forgot?"

"Yeah…" she nodded, biting on her lower lip. "I guess I must have pushed it away and focused too much on other things."

Regarding her for a moment, Itachi tilted his face up towards the sky, relishing in the gentle breeze that swept his hair off his face. "It explains why you have been so restless." he stated. "You are naturally an adventurous woman."

Yes, she was. "Itachi…"

He gave a small smile. "Ask me."

Of course, Sakura inwardly grumbled, he could sense everything thanks to the bond. Lately it had been growing so very powerful and if their emotions were intense, they could hear each other's thoughts. It was a little freaky having somebody hearing your thoughts, but together, they'd been working on that. "Can we…" she paused for a second, a soft frown pulling at her lips. "I've always wanted to see the world, so… Can we?"

His smile widened momentarily, a warm feeling causing Itachi to feel relaxed despite the fact they were not in an incredibly safe area. Only Sakura could make him feel like that. "Just the two of us."

She knew that this was his way of agreeing and it took everything in Sakura to hold back her need to grin brightly.

The grin she'd been attempting to hold back, vanished altogether as another gust of wind blew past them. With it, was…

Sakura breathed deeply, her nostrils being filled instantly with such a sweet smell that it had her throat burning in response, had her fingers digging harshly into the branch she and Itachi were seated on, leaving indentations.

Blood.

She swallowed hard.

Itachi's eyes snapped to hers as Sakura shifted in her seat, as her eyes quickly darted from one area to another.

A creak behind them.

She whirled around, eyes fierce and the growl that tore from her, came deep from within her chest, echoing loudly throughout the forest and easily overshadowing the sounds of the night, which seemed to all fall silent at the noise. Naruto stilled immediately in response, wild eyes fixed on hers.

Sakura's upper lip curled.

And then she was flipping backwards off the branch, using the opposite tree as a vault before she was running back the way they just came, running at a speed faster than she was used to. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, scorching her and making her breathing quicken, making it hard to focus on anything other than the delicious smell of blood.

It was when somebody appeared beside her that Sakura snapped, spinning around quickly though never stopping once in her running. However, just as she clenched her fist tightly and was about to punch that person, to make sure it was known that the person bleeding was not to be touched, just as another feral growl ripped through her, her eyes locked with Itachi's.

"I will not take this from you." he murmured to her, watching as Sakura faced forward once more. Clearly, she knew that he would not interfere. "I want to remind you, however, of who you are. What you want to be."

Her eyes narrowed a fraction.

"If you make hunt now, if you drink this person's blood, you will never be able to ignore human blood again. It will be inside you and you will know the difference between human and animal blood. It will make your wish to become a great doctor so much harder."

Sakura swallowed hard, fists clenching. "I'm not hunting."

A pause.

Another leap from one tree until she was on the ground, looking down at the broken man before her.

Her eyebrows knitted together.

"I'm helping him."

Closing her eyes, Sakura took a deep breath to get used to the smell, to teach herself that while it smelled so very delicious, she could not drink his blood. This man was injured. Badly. By the looks of things, it had been a fight.

Kneeling down before the man who was just about to fall unconscious, she frowned. Three stab wounds. One to the upper thigh, just missing a major artery, one to his shoulder and the other being just a slash up his arm, although it was still bleeding a fair amount. His lip was split and his left eye was swollen shut. It seemed being a vampire doctor had its benefits, after all. She could sense where the injuries were and how bad they were, easily.

"Are… Are you an angel?" he smiled deliriously, dark eyes shutting as he slumped against the tree. "Take me… anywhere you want… angel."

Angel… Sakura bit back her giggle and slipped off her backpack, pulling out the pouch Rin had given to her. Who would have guessed that it would come in handy more or less straight away? Willing the shake of her hands away, she opened the pouch, looking through her supplies, before taking out what she needed and getting to work.

* * *

"That was…" Temari shook her head as Sakura returned to them. "Unbelievable."

"We all thought you were going to–"

"I didn't." she cut Kankuro off, nodding in thanks to Naruto, who handed her a soaked cloth to wash the blood from her hands. She did so quickly. "I had to make you all think I was so that you wouldn't go after him."

"Smart." Sasuke muttered from his place against a tree. "Are you done playing hero now?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously.

What, did he think that had been easy for her? Ignoring that man's blood had been close to impossible and more than once, she'd almost caved. The entire time, Sakura had had to go through the periodic table as well as what she knew of all surgical procedures to keep herself distracted from the blood. And now Sasuke was acting like what she did was meaningless? Like it was just a waste of his time?

Not giving Sakura the time to reply, Itachi spoke up, giving his brother a warning look. "Don't start to sulk like a child because you didn't get to hunt, Sasuke. We will be passing by a prison in a few hours. You can wait until then. The man Sakura healed, was innocent and had been mugged for everything that was on his person."

The younger Uchiha's upper lip curled before he pushed off the tree. "Are we going now?"

Rolling her eyes, Sakura obeyed Itachi's order of getting into formation once more and once they were all in position, they set off again.

* * *

She tried to ignore the look of the place, tried to ignore the creeping unease filling her, tried to ignore the bloodcurdling screams that echoed through the night before being permanently silenced.

Outside of the prison, Sakura took a deep breath, thankful that the wind was blowing towards the prison, therefore not blowing the smell of death and blood into her face. Yes, the deaths would be inside the prison and yes, she was at least a mile away, but her sense of smell was strong.

They had all gone inside, had all gone to take as much blood as they could in order to last the journey. Itachi hadn't been comfortable with leaving Sakura outside alone and neither had Temari or Naruto, either. However she had assured them that she could do this. Staying hidden within the trees wasn't difficult and knocking out a few humans who found her wouldn't be either.

She sighed.

It seemed all she could do at that moment in time, was wait.

* * *

Hunting always brought Itachi a strange sense of power, of control. It was something he never knew whether to accept, or to be wary of. Too much power could corrupt a person, could make him arrogant and whatnot.

Then again…

He breathed deeply, a low growl rumbling in his chest.

Nobody could truly ignore feeling powerful, could they? Even if they didn't relish the feeling, a small part of them would.

He slipped into one of many offices with ease, watching from within the shadows as the officer on duty practically slobbered over the screens showing him footage of the entire prison. This was a perfect example of a man with too much power, of somebody being corrupted by it. Before even turning onto the corridor with this particular office on it, Itachi had smelled evil. He had caught a whiff of something that brought back awful memories to him.

Pain, suffering and sex.

Some people simply weren't cut out for being a man of power.

Itachi flash stepped over to the other side of the office, bringing the officer out of his perverted spying as he did so. The reaction was one he had been expecting. Fear of being caught, surprise to find that nobody other than himself was in the office. It wasn't fully lit, so the officer could not see him.

It was supposed to be the men inside of this prison who were criminals and whilst they deserved punishment, they did not deserve what was happening. Nobody did. Not them, not Sakura–

Another deep growl rumbled from deep within his chest, alerting the officer that he was definitely not alone.

Blond hair flopped into his eyes as he spun around in his chair, hazel eyes snapping this way and that to try and find the trespasser. Nothing. "W–Who's there?"

Even criminals deserved privacy.

The screens shattered, Itachi's movements much too quick for the officer to keep up with and by the time he'd moved back into his hiding place, the other man was falling to the ground, arms and hands covering his head in a weak attempt to shield himself.

"You are a pitiful excuse of a man," Itachi's eyes narrowed, voice low as he glanced at the desk, "Genzou–san."

"Where are you?" Genzou demanded, shooting straight to his feet and reaching to his holster. "You have no right to be in here!"

"Do you really wish to speak about rights?"

Silence. Hazel eyes narrowed.

"You are aware that rape, no matter who the victim is, is still rape, aren't you?"

Genzou's upper lip curled and not even a second later, his gun was being held tightly in both hands, the man turning this way and that as he tried to follow Itachi's voice. However, his deep voice sounded as though it was coming from all around him and he couldn't figure out which way was the right way. "You know nothing about my prison!" the man spat hatefully. "The men here are vicious, they show no remorse for the things they've done!"

Black eyes flashed to red, glowing ominously in the lowly lit office. "And taking away their dignity, their self–respect and privacy, is the way to punish them?"

Again, nothing but silence.

Itachi was in front of him in a second, easily batting the gun out of Genzou's hands and pinning him to the wall with a single hand wrapped around his throat, lifting him off his feet.

"It is men like you," Itachi's voice dropped to a deadly murmur, "who makes it seem like there is no way out. I am not excusing the wrongs these men have done. I am in no way defending them. However, if you continue what you are doing to them, then they will never become better people. They will go on living as criminals, they will go on lashing out and doing who knows what. They will want retribution, even if they are not punishing the one who harmed them."

It was weakly that Genzou clawed at the hand around his throat, trying pitifully to make it loosen. Impossible. No matter how hard he fought, the hand was unmovable. His nails couldn't even penetrate Itachi's skin!

"W… What are… you?" he rasped.

Red eyes narrowed before Itachi was spinning them around and slamming Genzou into the ground, causing what little air was left to rip unmercifully from his lungs.

Instead of answering, he leaned over the man and sank his teeth into his neck, a small part of him enjoying the tortured scream that echoed around the office and down the deathly silent corridor.

* * *

Usually, you were supposed to eradicate all evidence of ever being there.

Not this time.

Instead of getting rid of all evidence, Itachi had instead fabricated a few things. For example, there were no vampires who had sucked the blood from the most evil prisoners along with one of their officers. No, there had been a suicide after the murder of many criminals. There had been a suicide note, one that confessed to all the horrific crimes Genzou had done. With his sharingan, it was easy to copy his handwriting flawlessly.

Itachi had never acted in such a way with his prey before. Their deaths had always been quick, even if they didn't deserve them. Tonight… Tonight he had shown no mercy on that man and instead drawn out his impending death, making him feel absolutely everything. All Itachi had seen was a vile, unforgivable creature. All he had seen was somebody who didn't deserve any mercy.

All he had seen was the broken form of the woman he loved on those cobbles.

It was like Itachi had gone back in time, had been reliving the moment he found Sakura.

"Itachi…" Sakura frowned as he finally returned. He was back much sooner than the rest, meaning they were alone. "What's wrong?"

He couldn't help but reach out for her, burying his face in her hair and breathing deeply, willing those haunting memories away. Sakura was safe now and she was somewhat alive. He had saved her and she was with him. No matter what it cost, Itachi vowed to keep her safe, to give her a happy life.

Hands cupped his face, forcing him to look into those expressive, apple green eyes. "Itachi. Tell me what happened."

It wasn't a question. He smiled a little at the fierce woman Sakura was becoming. Part of him knew that she'd probably always been fierce, but after everything that had happened to her, it had taken a short while for her to find herself again – and she was still on that path of finding herself. It was an honour to be a part of that, to watch her.

"It is nothing for you to be worried about, hime." he murmured quietly, brushing his lips against her forehead. He couldn't kiss her, not with that man's vile blood still lingering in his mouth. Nothing was going to stop Sakura from fulfilling her dream – not even himself. Before she could argue, he silenced her. "Have you already made hunt?"

She shook her head softly. "Not yet."

"Come." he murmured whilst grabbing her hand, gently pulling her away from the prison. "We don't have long before we need to leave."

* * *

While she hunted, Itachi had been quiet – quieter than usual, should she say. What made his strange mood even stranger was that he hunted with her, taking down two mountain lions as well as three deer. Through their bond Sakura could tell he was feeling low, could tell that something was bothering him, but she knew better than to push him. If Itachi wanted to talk, he would talk to her. All she could do at that moment in time was be patient.

They made it back just as the others did and without saying a single word, they set off much faster than before, pushing themselves this time. Why, Sakura had no idea, but she couldn't deny that she was growing more and more excited by the minute.

Two days later, during the middle of the evening, they finally arrived at an old cabin. On the outside it didn't seem like much and from what they could see of the inside, it seemed just as old. The wood was a faded grey colour most likely due to rain and old age and Sakura could see a name carved into the side of the cabin, but due to it turning at an awkward angle, she couldn't read the full name, unless it was only three letters long.

Dan.

There was a curving symbol beneath it, but she couldn't see it. The romantic in her was hoping it was one of those carvings young couples made into trees, though she couldn't be too sure.

The door opened with a creak, clearly needing a good oiling and a large figure stepped out of the cabin, his muscular build definitely intimidating. However, at the long, spiky mane of pure white hair, Naruto grinned brightly, all stress and worry falling off his shoulders.

"Ero–sennin!"

Said man chuckled, a low and throaty sound as he smirked down at the blond. "It seems you managed to survive without me, Naruto." His dark eyes drifted to Itachi's. "Perhaps not by yourself, though."

"Oi! I can look after myself!" he argued loudly, waving his arms in the air with anger.

"Of course you can, kid."

"Jiraiya, what is with all this racket?"

And as a blonde left the cabin, a blonde who looked so very beautiful to Sakura, she felt all breath leave her. This was Tsunade. It didn't even need to be clarified for her. She could tell just by the woman's aura (Itachi's memories helped, too). This woman was powerful, she could tell already. There was just something about her that screamed everyone else was beneath her, that she would have no regrets and nothing would hold her back from putting somebody in their place.

"Tsunade–sama." Sakura breathed before taking a step forward boldly, surprising them all with her confidence. "I have a favour to ask of you. Please make me your apprentice!"


	14. Not Going To Be Easy

**Chapter 13 – Not Going To Be Easy**

"Jiraiya, what is with all this racket?"

And as a blonde left the cabin, a blonde who looked so very beautiful to Sakura, she felt all breath leave her. This was Tsunade. It didn't even need to be clarified for her. She could tell just by the woman's aura (Itachi's memories helped, too). This woman was powerful, she could tell already. There was just something about her that screamed everyone else was beneath her, that she would have no regrets and nothing would hold her back from putting somebody in their place.

"Tsunade–sama." Sakura breathed before taking a step forward boldly, surprising them all with her confidence. "I have a favour to ask of you. Please make me your apprentice!"

The woman paused – they all did, really. Nobody had been expecting Sakura to just blurt it out as she had, not even Itachi. However, she refused to show her nervousness and instead stood tall, fists clenching by her sides as she took even breaths. This was it. If Tsunade said no, then she would have to find some way of persuading the woman into saying yes. She had to make it known that she was serious about the training. This meant so much to her.

Instead of answering, Tsunade tilted her head to the side, blonde hair swaying gently in the soft breeze that brushed through the clearing. If they weren't surprised by Sakura's bluntness, then they were by the fact Tsunade didn't even seem to think long about it. All she did was assess Sakura's eyes before a small smile pulled at her lips.

"First things first: what is your name?"

Damn it! She had forgotten to introduce herself! Deep breaths. She couldn't show how scared she was of being told 'no'. "My name is Haruno Sakura."

The smirk slipped away from Tsunade's lips. "Haruno Sakura! I can sense through my connection with Itachi, that you also share a connection with him. Is that correct?"

She frowned softly. "It is, but I don't want you to see me as just his mate. I want to be seen as my own person."

And the smirk was back on the blonde's lips, her honey brown eyes seeming to grow distant, like she was recalling a fond memory. Her expression was serious once more not even a moment later. "Your eyes tell me that you're intelligent, that you have a medic's heart. Years of this life can also show me that you have great potential."

Her breath caught and through their bond, Itachi could feel hope flaring largely within her. Despite how she was feeling, however, there was a determined expression on her face, one that was screaming that she wanted to be taken seriously. He was not offended by the fact she didn't want to be seen as his mate. Haruno Sakura was her own person and there was not a chance in hell that he would allow her to live in his shadow.

"Very well." Tsunade smiled.

Nobody had seen Sakura smile so brightly.

"In return, know that I will be strict."

Sakura nodded once, straightening up. "Yes, Tsunade–sama!"

By the blonde's side, Jiraiya smirked and folded his arms over his chest, leaning back against the doorway. It surprised Sakura only vaguely that Naruto was standing by his side instead of with them, but his grin was so large that it took away any confusion she had felt. Behind her, the Sabaku clan glanced at one another, Temari smirking proudly whilst Kankuro huffed with amusement. Had anyone really doubted Tsunade's response?

Itachi couldn't help but feel proud of his mate and stood beside him, Sasuke watched Sakura's back, watched how tall she held herself and the fact he could _feel_ her happiness in the air around them.

Watching the girl for a moment, Tsunade nodded once. "We will begin tomorrow. You're still young by the looks of things, so go find yourself a room and rest up."

It took a lot to hide the fact Sakura was almost trembling with excitement. "Thank you." She glanced over her shoulder. "Itachi?"

He nodded once, following after her, although paused when he reached Tsunade and Jiraiya. "There are a few things we must discuss later on tonight."

A single blonde eyebrow raised and an unimpressed look was on Tsunade's face. "That we do."

* * *

It was late at night when Itachi finally approached Tsunade and Jiraiya, Sasuke close behind him along with Naruto and the Sabaku clan. Itachi felt horrible for keeping Sakura (who was currently sleeping and resting up for tomorrow) out of the fast approaching discussion, but he refused to have her be a part of it. He refused to have her mixed up with Orochimaru and his vile head games. No, Sakura was to remain pure and untainted. She would not be troubled by their problems.

"Uchiha Itachi." Tsunade sighed, sitting back in her seat and casually throwing an arm over the back of it. "Well, everyone take a seat. It seems we must go over a few rules."

They did so without a word, all watching Tsunade blankly save for Naruto, who had never felt so relieved to see both Tsunade and Jiraiya before. Just as the blonde opened her mouth, he cut her off. "Where's Shizune–nee–chan, baa–chan?"

The woman shook her head with a light scoff, though there was a warmth in her eyes. "She finally fell in love."

He grinned in response, crossing his legs in his seated position on the hard, wooden floor, and resting his hands on his knees. "Really? Do I know him? What's he like? Is he good to her?"

"Of course he's good to her!" Jiraiya chuckled, his voice rumbling deep within his chest. "Do you really think Tsunade would let him live this long if that wasn't the case?"

Well, when he put it like that…

"Before we begin," Itachi spoke up, his voice low and quiet, "I would like for us all to agree on something."

Like earlier that night, Tsunade raised a fine, blonde eyebrow, seeming unimpressed. "This is about your mate, isn't it?" He nodded once. She waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. I also have a thing or two to say about her." There was a serious expression on her features as she sat up, narrowing her eyes on him. "I told you the risks of turning others into what we are and yet you deliberately disobeyed me, Uchiha. When I turned you, I did so because you had a mere hour to live, if that, and I saw the potential in you. This girl–"

"Was like myself." he answered tonelessly, features just as blank. "Unlike myself, however, instead of an hour, she had a single minute left. I admit to acting without thinking, changing her without knowing, but know now that I do not regret my choice. No matter what you say to me now, I will never regret changing her."

Her eyes narrowed a fraction more. "You are lucky that I believe you, Itachi. As a medic I'm trained to see what's been fixed – being a vampire does not excuse her from this. Not only as a medic, but also because of my gift, I can see the horrors of what happened to that girl. Just one look at her eyes can show me that and I truly hope that I don't come into physical contact with her, because I sure as hell do not need more haunting memories stored away up here." She tapped the side of her head harshly, eyes hard. "Taking Haruno Sakura on as my apprentice, however, means that at some point, I _will_ have to come into physical contact with her. You will explain to her exactly what my gift is and make damn sure she knows that she will not be able to hide anything from me. Understand?"

Itachi nodded once. It was not a conversation he was looking forward to. "Understood."

Then, her eyes moved over to Sasuke, who was standing beside his brother's seated position on the small sofa. "And you, Uchiha Sasuke. You want to kill Orochimaru."

Silence for a moment, before he said rather bluntly, "I do."

Something flashed in Jiraiya's eyes, but the man continued to rest in his seat beside Tsunade.

"You might want to try toning down your hatred." Tsunade muttered. "I could sense it miles away, which is how we knew you were coming." Standing up, she sighed and made her way over to him, making Sasuke straighten up. It was without warning and without permission that she placed her hand on his forehead, green chakra glowing around the room. "Good. You've been working on it."

When she had sensed the fragility of Uchiha Sasuke's mind, Tsunade had made her way straight for the boy with Jiraiya and Shizune by her side. It was sentimental and foolish of her but she couldn't help but think of all those she had changed as her children. No, Tsunade would never mention it out loud and she would sure as hell never admit it to anyone, but it was the truth. They were all, in a way, like her children. And the second she sensed Sasuke's distress, despite being on the other side of the planet, Tsunade had dropped everything and tracked down the Uchiha clan.

Frowning, she dropped her hand away after carefully extracting her chakra. "But it won't last much longer, that dam I put in there." In response, the youngest Uchiha shook his head. "There are already leakages, am I right?" He nodded. "Listen to me, Sasuke. In order to overcome this, you have to kill the one who cast it over you. Even Shisui's eyes cannot touch this mess inside your head."

"…I know."

He had already tried to help him. They all had.

"And it has to be _you_ who kills Orochimaru. It can't be Itachi."

"I know."

She nodded once, glancing down at Itachi. "Obviously, you know all of this already. It's why you haven't tracked him down and killed him yourself."

"It is."

Sighing with frustration, Tsunade sat back down in her previous seat, rubbing her aching temples. "This is all so troublesome. Sabaku clan." She instantly had their attention. "Thank you for protecting Naruto for as long as you have. That idiot could start trouble in an empty room."

"Oi!" the blond snarled angrily, jumping to his feet. "Says you, you old hag! You're always getting into fights and–"

Tsunade was immediately yanking him down to her level, apparently not seeing him as much of a threat to actually stand up. "What was that?" she asked slowly, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Did you just call me an old hag?"

Blue eyes went wide.

"Tsunade." Jiraiya sighed, grabbing her hand. "Don't hurt the kid – he's overexcited about being back with us, obviously."

Raising an eyebrow, her eyes never left Naruto's. "Well? Is that the case?"

Even though his pride was screaming at him to disagree, Naruto quickly nodded his head. Man, Tsunade was even scarier than Sakura and for the past few months, he hadn't even thought that such a thing was possible.

There was a reason why all vampires were so obedient towards the two sitting on the sofa. There was also a reason as to why the two had almost every hunter on their backs. Why? To put it plainly, they were pretty much the creators of vampires. Sounded a little impossible, but they were more or less the original vampires. They'd been around for so long that even they had difficulty keeping track of time. Tsunade and Jiraiya held such dangerous knowledge, such powerful jutsu and techniques, that it made them terrifying despite their appearances.

All vampires, even if they wouldn't outwardly admit it, respected and feared the two of them. And, in a way, the two were connected to every vampire that was currently living. For example, since Tsunade had changed him, and he had gone on to change Sakura, she was also somewhat distantly connected to Sakura. Just like if Naruto was ever to change anyone, Jiraiya would be somewhat distantly connected to them.

It was why they had so many targets on their backs, why it was close to impossible for anyone who wasn't directly changed by them, to track them both.

It was said that, centuries and centuries – possibly even millennia – ago, there had been a team of three. Back then it hadn't been too strange to come across warriors who were capable of wielding their chakra and using it for every day tasks, or especially for battle. Over time, people had forgotten how to summon their chakra, how to use it to their advantage.

Anyway, there had been a team of three, a very powerful team who were known as the 'Legendary Sannin'. They were greatly respected by thousands! One day, however, the third member of their team turned against them when they figured out he was involved in dark magic, the stuff that instantly handed you a one–way ticket straight to the deepest pits of hell, should you even _consider_ practising the stuff.

Probably wasn't too difficult trying to figure out who the traitor was.

After a fierce battle, it was said that the two teammates had left the battlefield, just barely clinging onto what little was left of their lives. That was the part where the story became uncertain, however. Like with all beliefs and religions, the beginning of vampires was shaky. It was no different to the argument of how the universe started. Was it the big bang, or was there really a God out there? There was no way of truly knowing.

Since then the two had vowed to try and defeat their teammate and over the centuries – or millennia – it had resulted in many fierce battles that would have left any weaker man dead. And over time, the female member of the team taught herself how to heal with chakra, how to boost her reserves so she could heal thousands at a time, saving those who got caught in the battles.

And now here the two members of that team sat.

Tsunade and Jiraiya.

"Tsunade–sama." Itachi called when she effortlessly threw the blond male to the ground with a snarl. "Please do not go easy on Sakura."

"I have no intention of doing so."

Good. She wouldn't appreciate it in the least and he wanted her to achieve all the goals she had set for herself and more.

"I'm going to question her tomorrow, but tell me, Uchiha. Has she healed anybody?"

"Before being changed, Sakura was training to become a doctor and despite her age, was already allowed to work in hospitals, due to her intelligence – although obviously not allowed to participate in surgeries." he recalled his mate's previous words. "Since being changed and discovering how to use her chakra, Sakura has gone on to healing two different people with it already, after coming across Nohara Rin."

Jiraiya's features became blank as many eyes shot to his accusingly. He would not explain his actions or silence to them and since Tsunade raised an eyebrow at Itachi, pushing him to continue, it seemed she wouldn't make him, either. No doubt he'd have to explain everything to the blonde later that evening, though. She was the only one who could drag answers out of him.

"Her chakra control is as close to flawless as I have ever seen." he told her and whilst they couldn't be sure, they could have sworn that there was pride in Itachi's voice. "Also, Sakura is a quick learner. Everything Rin–san had to teach her in the basics of medical–ninjutsu, was learned in a matter of weeks."

Leaning forward, seeming more and more intrigued by the moment, Tsunade asked, "Has she ever tasted human blood?"

This time, it was obvious he was feeling proud of Sakura, for Itachi smirked. "Not a single drop has passed her lips. Her restraint is like her chakra control."

"Remarkable." Jiraiya complimented, truly amazed. "And you say she's healed people, too?"

"Yes. While one of them was of our kind, the most recent to be healed, was not. She managed to resist the temptation and instead saved his life."

"I have to admit, I'm intrigued." she murmured in return, eyes shining. "It's been so long since I've seen an innocence such as hers. It's as though it… lures you in."

Naruto snorted, already knowing that, while the others all inwardly agreed. Something about Sakura definitely lured people in – nobody was an exception. Either it was in a romantic way, or a friendly way, you were going to be lured in. Itachi just so happened to be the one who fell the hardest, who was lured in with an iron tight hold that he had no desires to break.

"I believe we have a miniature Tsunade growing." Jiraiya smirked.

However, instead of agreeing, Tsunade shook her head, blonde hair moving with her. "No. You're wrong." Her voice was still a thoughtful murmur, eyebrows knitting together and completing the look. "I don't want Haruno Sakura to become a miniature version of myself."

The next five words that left her lips, left them all breathless and stunned.

"She's going to surpass me."

* * *

"Show me everything you have."

Sakura hesitated for a moment, intimidated by the blonde's powerful aura. "You mean weapons?"

She waved dismissively, placing one of her hands on her shapely hip. "Sure, those too. Come at me with the intent to kill."

Once more, Sakura hesitated. This was a joke, right? Some kind of test? Surely Tsunade didn't expect her to actually attack her with the intent of killing her? It was… _wrong_! Tsunade had never wronged her, had never given her any reason to attack her. Then again, this was training. How was she supposed to learn if she couldn't even throw a punch?

Reaching to the pouch Sasuke had given her, Sakura took out a kunai. It was a spare pouch that had belonged to him and was filled with kunai, shuriken and explosive tags. The thought of having such destructive power in just a small, beige pouch resting on her hip, was terrifying.

The others were all sitting on branches or under the shade of trees, watching the first sparring session of many with such intensity, that it made her incredibly nervous. It was like they were all – yes, even Itachi – expecting high results out of her. Why would they–

Tsunade was charging towards her without warning, making Sakura tense up further.

"The ability to dodge the enemy's attack is the most important thing for a medic who is in battle." Tsunade yelled as she ran. "Medics must never be hit by the enemy!"

Sakura could barely register a word.

And then suddenly, Tsunade was disappearing, making her eyes go wide until a shadow began to grow larger and larger over her. The sight that greeted her when she looked up was petrifying to say the least, considering all she'd been told about Tsunade's monstrous strength. The woman was coming down on her with one leg raised high into the air, ready to be slammed down on top of her head. Behind Tsunade, the sun shone brightly, threatening to blind her if she looked into it for too long, but how could she not when she had to watch all of the blonde's movements? If she took her eyes off her for even a second, then it could be disastrous.

Sakura leapt backwards just in time, eyes widening in horror as the clearing shook, as the ground gave way beneath Tsunade's foot like it was absolutely nothing. It crumbled beneath the older woman, but she didn't spare it a second glance and instead pushed off of an unbroken piece of ground, darting to Sakura once more with her fist drawing backwards.

She followed her instincts and squeezed her eyes shut, arms weakly raising and shielding her face.

"Don't close your eyes!" the blonde all but screamed at her, but her voice was too angry and low to sound like an actual scream – more like a growl, when Sakura thought about it.

The second Sakura touched down onto the ground, she literally felt her stomach caving in where Tsunade struck her and for a moment, all she could see were stars. No, not even stars. It was just pure white with a high pitched sound screaming in her ears. Smashing backwards into a tree couldn't capture her attention and having it break in half couldn't capture her attention, either. All Sakura could feel was the agonising feeling of her stomach, the pain only seeming to impossibly increase at the sight of it.

Sakura fell forward without moving, too in shock at such rough treatment and unable to breathe or so much as blink, due to the spasms of pain.

Somebody was by her side in an instant.

"Tsunade–baa–chan, you're being unfair! Sakura–chan's not used–"

"Stay out of this, Naruto." The woman snarled at him, pushing him away from Sakura as she stood before the girl. Reluctantly, Naruto backed down, glaring over at Itachi when he made no move to help his supposed mate. "Why the hell would you close your eyes when the enemy's right in front of you?" Tsunade demanded angrily.

Weakly, Sakura tried her best to stand, body trembling with the effort.

It took her a few minutes, but eventually, she was standing.

It didn't matter to Sakura that she was clutching her stomach tightly, didn't matter that her body was still shaking or that she wanted nothing more than to give in, that the others were watching in stunned horror.

She had to do this.

Once more, despite her agony being obvious, Sakura narrowed her eyes, her features setting into stubborn determination. "Instinct." she retorted, surprising them by making the hand seals she'd seen on Rin's scroll and healing herself. "Despite training with others and despite my past, I'm not used to such treatment."

The blonde nodded once, glad to know that Sakura knew where she went wrong and understood that it had to change. That wasn't even mentioning the short healing session she just gave herself, which surprised her. "I told you that I would be strict and I will not go easy on you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Tsunade–sama." Now that the pain was easing, Sakura stood up straighter. "Can we try again?"

She smirked in approval.

And like the first time, Tsunade attacked without warning, but Sakura forced herself to keep focused and not listen to the human instincts that lingered in her mind. Instead she dodged every attack she could, understanding that this was a training session in dodging, and not fighting back.

Leaning backwards, Sakura watched as the fist went flying over her head and a second later, she caught it, using all the strength within herself to launch Tsunade across the clearing and put some space between them.

It was slowly that the older woman crept closer to her, waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

She found it.

But just as her fist began to glow blue with chakra, just as her foot created a small crater in the ground, Sakura reached into her pouch for another kunai to try and distract the woman with, only for her hand to brush along a scroll.

Obito's gift.

Yanking it out of her pouch, Sakura risked a glance at it and quickly made the 'release' seal he had taught her before leaving. And in place of the scroll was something that had all Uchiha as well as Tsunade and Jiraiya, halting, had them tensing.

Tsunade came to an abrupt stop at the sight of Sakura wielding a wide fan, one with three tomoe on it. They all knew who it had previously belonged to and it sent ice cold shivers up their spines. Following the bandaged handle Sakura was holding tightly, determinedly, their eyes lingered on the brown border around the hourglass shaped fan, on the red tomoe, on the chain that was attached to the handle, though the other side fell uselessly to the ground, considering Sakura had not connected it to anything.

"Obito's story wasn't lies." Sasuke breathed.

Itachi appeared by Sakura's side in a second, startling her as he held his hands out for the fan. Frowning in confusion she handed it over, watching him assess it with hard eyes.

"Itachi?"

"Where did you get that?" Tsunade demanded, looking at the fan with a mixture of disgust and fear. "_How the hell did you get that_?"

"I…"

"It was a gift." Itachi told her, eyes flashing in warning as he sensed Sakura's distress, as he sensed the suffocating feeling washing over her. "Uchiha Obito gave it to her."

"And how did Uchiha Obito get a hold of it?"

Sakura glanced between the two with wide eyes. What had she done wrong? Obito had told her to use the weapon during training… So she had.

"He came across Uchiha Madara, but Madara is dead now." said Itachi seriously. "If you wish to know the full story, you will have to speak with Obito–"

"To hell I will." she snarled, hand lashing out and grabbing Itachi's.

And in that moment, Sakura saw red.

It just couldn't be helped.

Her foot smashed into the ground before she whirled around in a jump, going onto kicking Tsunade in the stomach so she was thrown away from them. The blonde was speechless, they all were, but Sakura refused to back down as she breathed heavily, glaring at Tsunade as she forced herself to come to a stop, feet digging harshly into the ground.

"You–"

"Don't touch him!" she yelled angrily, fists clenching. "You touched him and… and I _felt you_ through our connection and…" Sakura shook her head, pink hair lashing around her face at the sharp movement. "Our bond is private – not something for you to just intrude on like that!"

Itachi was stunned to say the least. Never – and he seriously meant _never_ – had anyone, including Sakura, gotten so possessive and territorial over him before. It was… a new experience, to say the least. So many different reactions were warring away inside of him, making it hard to think clearly. A part of him wanted to hold Sakura back, to tell her that it wasn't like that and it was merely Tsunade's gift (which he had yet to talk to her about). Another part of him wanted to watch her continue to act in such a way, as it was so very mesmerising and impressive (what with her going up against Tsunade and making it known that they were mates). Finally, a different part of him wanted to show Sakura that he was hers, that their bond _was_ private and Tsunade meant nothing. He wanted to drag her into the cabin and do things he shouldn't even be thinking about at a time like this.

The blonde raised her hands, eyes hard yet understanding. "Clearly there's been a misunderstanding."

Fiery green eyes narrowed dangerously, her upper lip curling.

"You're still young, Sakura. Believe me when I say: I know that those feelings are tearing you up inside, making you think illogically. However, what Itachi has failed to tell you is that I have a gift. Like the Uchiha have their sharingan, I have the gift of seeing everything in somebody's mind with just one touch. Sometimes, I don't even have to touch them – I can see it in their eyes."

The eyes were the window to a person's soul.

"I understand that Itachi was the one who changed you and not only that, but he is also your mate. You are bound to feel possessive of him and your bond." Honey brown eyes narrowed and as they did, everyone tensed. "However, that kick was a one–off. If you ever attack me like that again outside of training, I will not hold back while I put you down. Is that understood?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed.

Slowly, her clenched fists relaxed and Sakura straightened up, forcing herself to be calm despite the white hot anger pulsing around her body. "Yes, Tsunade–sama."


	15. I'm Ready

**Chapter 14 – I'm Ready**

The next several months were difficult for many different reasons.

First reason: the training.

After losing her control and screaming at Tsunade the way she had, once calmed down, Sakura had been so scared that she'd ruined her opportunity, that her possessiveness had made the other woman realise she wasn't worth her time or effort. Thankfully, that had not been the case. If anything, Tsunade enjoyed Sakura's temper and her mood swings. They reminded her of herself.

But the training was a hell of a lot more painful than Sakura had been anticipating. It wasn't only physically that she was being pushed, but also mentally. How? Well, for starters, when Tsunade slept, she literally slept like the dead and waking her was damn near impossible. For the poor fool who managed to wake her (that poor fool being herself), it was dangerous, for she would wake up screaming and throwing things. Not only did that strengthen her, but also the training itself.

It was difficult to explain. Having somebody coming at you with the intent to kill, having to dodge every single blow thrown her way lest she wished die and having… Just Tsunade's training in general. She was insanely strict, never allowing Sakura a moment of rest. Every time they started another training session, she was certain it would be her last, that this time, Tsunade was actually going to kill her. But that's what made her stronger mentally. Adjusting to the harshness of the training, learning how to defend herself and coming to terms with the fact that the world was not her friend.

Closing her eyes, Sakura breathed deeply, enjoying the wind blowing through the clearing, brushing her hair delicately around her features.

Second reason: the Sabaku clan had left them.

Around a week into her training, Gaara had made it known to them all that they would be leaving the day after at dawn. Why, she had no idea. All Sakura knew was that, when she woke up the next morning, they were gone. It was like they hadn't been there at all. It… It hurt, if she was being completely honest. For the past several months, those three had been there. They had helped her, in their own ways and then suddenly, they had to leave. Itachi told her that they had private business to tend to, that it was extremely personal, but it did little to comfort her.

They were like family to her.

They'd left a note, though. Instead of simply leaving like Sakura had thought they had, as well as the mentioning of their leaving the night before, Gaara had also left a note, one where he expressed his apology of leaving so abruptly. As well as that, he hoped she did well in her training and continued to make good progress.

Green eyes snapped open and Sakura was quick to dodge the fist aiming straight for her head, rolling out of the way and shooting to her feet.

Third reason: no privacy.

She and Itachi had… Well, there had been many times where they basically felt as though they _needed_ to feel the other. However, this was not the hideout. This was not their lake. Here, there was no privacy. In the small cabin, everything was overheard even when the others tried to tune you out. There were no secrets.

As the two lunged for her, she leapt up into the air, into the splits, and reached down, slamming their heads together with an angered snarl.

Back near the trees, one or two of the others winced.

When the two in front of her vanished from existence with pops and poofs of smoke, Sakura surveyed the area around her with narrowed eyes. There had been more of those clones. Three more, to be exact.

_Up._

Nothing.

_Left._

Nothing.

_Right._

Nothing.

_Behind._

Nothing.

There was only one place left where they could be hiding.

Clenching her fist tightly, Sakura drew it back before slamming it into the ground.

"Below!" she growled.

The ground broke beneath her like it was merely a glass vase.

And just like she knew there would be, three terrified, dazed looking Naruto clones revealed themselves to her.

"_Much better_." Tsunade commented loudly enough for her to hear. "_However, you're leaving yourself unguarded by standing in that position, Sakura. Don't pause to watch the damage you've caused – prepare yourself immediately for the next attack_!"

Nodding once, Sakura used the stance Itachi had taught her long ago, the one that kept every inch of her body guarded.

Sensing movement behind her, she spun around and leapt backwards at the sight of growing blue chakra in Naruto's hand. Rasengan. There was a determined look on his face and she just knew that, inwardly, he would be debating on when to dissipate the attack should she not be able to dodge it. That had been the case many times.

Now, she had a plan.

A single nod was directed to Naruto and in return, he also nodded, charging at her with the blue ball of chakra in his palm glowing brightly, intimidatingly. It felt like everything within her focused entirely on that ball, on the damage she _knew_ it could cause. To make her more aware of it, Itachi had ordered Naruto to show Sakura the attack when used against a very sturdy, very tall and incredibly large tree.

It was completely obliterated.

And finally, as Naruto came within reach, Sakura quickly grabbed the item resting on her back, whipping it in front of her and setting her feet firmly into the ground, causing it to crumble ever so slightly as the rasengan collided with the fan she had been given.

"_Gunbai._" Itachi had murmured to her on the night she had released the fan from its scroll. "_It belonged to none other than Uchiha Madara and was used throughout many vicious battles. This fan is a war fan, Sakura. It has the ability to convert incoming chakra into the wind element – _your_ element. It converts incoming chakra and reflects your opponent's attack back at them._"

Gritting her teeth, Sakura grunted as she felt Naruto being blasted away from her, the force of the reflection almost knocking her to the ground also, but she stood strong, sending chakra to her feet to keep herself standing.

And when Naruto eventually stood back up, he was grinning at her.

"You did it, Sakura–chan!"

She grinned right back at him.

"Well done, Sakura." Tsunade smirked, folding her arms over her chest and leaning her side against the tree she was stood under. "You're improving and learning everything I have to teach you, quickly." It took everything to try and fight back Sakura's excitement, her need to throw her fist in the air and yell happily. Instead, Naruto did it for her. "I think that will be enough sparring for today. Go hunt. When you return, I want you to go over the latest scroll I gave to you."

Nodding, Sakura set her Gunbai onto her back once more, though paused in her leaving when Tsunade continued.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to test your restraint."

Restraint? Did that mean…?

"You are going to be healing a living person who is injured."

"But, Tsunade–sama, we can't hurt innocent–"

"This woman is already in the hospital." she murmured and stood up straight, arms dropping to her sides. "I know this because I checked her over myself. At most, I give her two, maybe three days left to live. There is a virus, a parasite, eating away at her insides and I want you to not only discover what kind of virus it is, but to also heal her of it."

That was… A hell of a lot of pressure. Having somebody's life in her hands was not something Sakura enjoyed. However, it was all a part of being a doctor. That man she had healed on their journey to this place had put his life in her hands and she had managed to heal him.

"Go hunt, Sakura. You must be at your best for tomorrow."

Numbly, Sakura nodded once, grateful that Itachi left with her.

* * *

"You are going to overfeed yourself, Sakura." Itachi told her calmly from his place against the tree, watching how his mate went from one animal to the next.

She wiped at her mouth with her sleeve, her green eyes wild as Sakura dropped the now thoroughly drained deer to the ground. "Can vampires even do that?"

"We will find out if you continue like this."

It took her longer than just a few moments to try and sort through her thoughts and even then, the so called sorting didn't do much. All it did was cause greater worry. "I need… I need to be at my best tomorrow."

Inwardly, Itachi sighed. There'd been no warning to what Tsunade had forced upon Sakura and it annoyed him. Sure, there was no doubt in his mind that Sakura would be able to save the woman, but what if she didn't? It could have negative effects. But… This time Itachi sighed out loud. Since when was he one to baby somebody? It was simply the fact that this was Sakura.

He'd taken her in, had saved her from an unworthy death on those stone cold cobbles, in that unforgiving alley. From there Itachi had helped her, had guided her.

He just didn't want to see her fall backwards instead of moving forward.

When Sakura sniffed the air and went to move by him, Itachi effortlessly caught her and spun her around, though thought twice of pinning her against the tree like he'd been planning. Instead he held onto her hands, gently backing Sakura up against the tree and staying to one side of her, so that she could see she still had a way out, if she didn't want him so close or felt overcrowded.

"How do you plan on succeeding, if you don't believe in yourself?"

The words had her pausing, had any thoughts of continuing with her hunting, stopping. "…What?"

"Tomorrow. You need to believe in yourself and your abilities, Sakura."

"But–"

"No excuses." Itachi murmured in that silk–like voice. "Just…" he paused, his hand raising and running through the stray strands of pastel pink hair that threatened to shield her eyes from his. "Use your natural talents as a healer. If you are stuck, I am certain Tsunade–sama will offer her assistance."

Her eyes were torn. "I'm… scared."

"I know." Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, Itachi gave a gentle smile. "Remember, however, that Tsunade–sama would never make you do something she was certain you aren't ready for."

Sakura nodded, her hold on his arms tightening. "Will you be there?"

Did she really need to ask?

* * *

This was it.

No questions had been asked about just how the hell Tsunade managed to sneak a body out of the hospital without anybody noticing, just like no questions were asked when she spoke Sakura's name, wordlessly telling her to follow her into the dining room. And when Sakura said body, she meant a body. There seemed to be no life in the motionless woman laying on the dining table and her pale skin seemed to be growing paler by the minute. It was haunting.

Thankfully, Tsunade told Naruto, Sasuke and Jiraiya to stay out of the room so that Sakura didn't feel as though she had an audience, but just like he'd promised, both Itachi and Tsunade stayed right by her side (although he was more leaned against the wall behind her than by her side).

"Her name?" Sakura whispered, eyes glued to the woman's face.

"Tanaka Ayame. Twenty seven years old." Tsunade replied without missing a beat. "First taken into hospital when she believed to be coming down with the flu."

Just for the flu? Why–

"She was pregnant at the time and it is recommended that pregnant women have the flu jab – but you already know that." the blonde continued more quietly, drifting closer and resting her hand on Ayame's stomach. "The baby died inside the womb at thirty–two weeks."

And it was like Sakura could _feel_ Ayame's pain, despite the woman being unconscious.

"After going through labour and giving birth to her stillborn, Ayame stayed for observations. It was during these observations that the doctors realised she was as feverish as the day she first entered the hospital with her concerns. A few days down the line and she lost consciousness. Hasn't woken up since."

Sakura clenched her fists and fought hard against the urge to bite her cheek. "How long has she been unconscious for?"

"Over a week now and as you can see for yourself, her health is rapidly deteriorating."

And she could. Sakura could feel Ayame's life slipping away like it was nothing but sand in an hourglass.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she made a single seal before hovering her hands over Ayame's small chest, a green glow lighting the otherwise dimly lit dining room. Usually it would be best to heal or examine a patient with better lighting, but Tsunade had told her one time that the cabin was very, very old and it was only thanks to Jiraiya preserving it for her that it hadn't collapsed altogether.

Ayame didn't look like much. Thin, pale, her skin was blemished, yet clean, but it all added to that look that screamed at you she was ill. From the looks of things, her hair had been falling out. Not just the hair on her head, but also her eyelashes, eyebrows and, even though Sakura couldn't see, she was guessing other body hair had also been falling out. As well as this, Ayame's heartbeat was slow, sluggish.

"You said she had days left, Tsunade–shishou."

Tsunade watched Sakura's features, watched the thoughtful frown on her features. "She did until this morning."

That was the thing about unknown illnesses. It was hard to pinpoint just how long somebody had left, or what they should expect. All that could be told for certain was whether or not it was terminal.

"It's a… It's a parasite of some sort." Sakura murmured, eyebrows knitting together. "And it's eating away at her organs, draining her life energy."

The blonde nodded once. "Can you identify what sort of parasite it is?"

Slowly, unsurely, Sakura shook her head. "I don't recall seeing it in your scrolls."

"Which shows you searched through them thoroughly last night." She said this with a small, proud smile, one that Sakura couldn't see.

"It's almost like poison." Sakura scowled after a few minutes of silence.

"And what do we do with poison?"

"Counter it. Try to find an antidote. But, Tsunade–sama, I don't think we have time…"

Just as the words left Sakura's lips, Ayame's heart skipped a beat before breaking out in an uneven, fast pace, like she was running a marathon without pacing herself. Her breathing was quickening and despite being unconscious, Ayame's features were contorted with pain, her entire body tensing.

What did she do?

The glow faded from Sakura's hands as she watched the convulsing woman with wide eyes, a terror–filled look on her face.

_What did she do?_

Itachi pushed away from the wall, folded arms dropping to his sides as he felt her growing panic.

Deep breath. First of all, she was going to take a deep breath. Sakura did so at her own order, forcing herself to calm down. This woman's life was in her hands and she couldn't let her die. Not on her watch.

Without a moment of hesitation, the green glow came back, just as Tsunade stepped forward to intervene. The blonde paused, eyes narrowing as she watched Sakura pushing her chakra further and further into Ayame's body. Those honey brown eyes only continued to narrow as one hand slowly pulled away from the pale body, drawing out the chakra carefully.

And with it, black dots of what appeared to be the parasite.

So that was Sakura's plan. To forcibly drag it out of the body.

"Naruto! Get me a bucket!"

Even though he was in the other room, Naruto heard Tsunade clearly and within a second, was in the dining room with them, placing three buckets by Sakura's side, cringing as he sensed the fatal parasite being dropped into one of the buckets.

It would have been easier with water, but Sakura knew she had to act quickly. Ayame's heart rate was sky rocketing, entering dangerously to the edge of stopping completely. Had there been machines around them, Sakura would have called it 'flat lining'. However, all she had was her hearing and so she reluctantly yet professionally listened to the dramatic thundering of the woman's heart.

"Come on, Sakura–chan…" Naruto murmured, leaning forward ever so slightly in suspense. "You can do it!"

_Believe in yourself._

That was what Itachi repeatedly told her.

She could sense Sasuke and Jiraiya entering the dining room also, despite Tsunade's previous warnings of overcrowding her. Sakura barely even noticed them, too determined on saving–

Her heart stopped.

Ayame's heart simply stopped all of a sudden.

"It's too much stress on her weakened body." Tsunade told her quietly.

There was still a chance. With wide eyes, Sakura quickly got to doing chest compressions, lips moving silently as she counted.

Nothing.

Tears threatened to fill her eyes as Ayame's chest stopped moving, but instead of crying, she worked harder. The trembling of her bottom lip couldn't be helped, however.

_Nothing_.

But if there was nothing, then why could she…?

Keeping her eyes on Ayame's chest, she lowered her mouth to hers, forcing air into her lungs.

"Sakura." the blonde murmured quietly. "That's enough."

No. She wasn't gone. Ayame wasn't gone yet.

Her hands began to tremble with the restraint she was fighting for as she leaned back, watching the average looking woman's features for a second before summoning her chakra once more and aiming it all to her heart, squeezing her eyes shut at the strange feeling that enveloped her. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before. It was like… It was like she could feel… She was tugging, _yanking_ at something… A light…

"Sakura," Tsunade sighed, "I said that's enough. You have lost her."

She shook her head stubbornly. "No I haven't! I can still feel her. She's still here."

"Sakura–"

"Don't!" Sakura snapped, feeling somebody reaching out to touch her. "I almost have her. I can feel her!"

And then, utterly stunning them all, a bright light passed through Sakura's body and crashed down into the deceased woman's. Only, she was no longer dead. The woman's brown eyes snapped open, a large gasp of air being drawn in between slowly turning blue lips.

Sakura's legs almost gave out on her and she had to clutch the table for support, panting harshly. That had been… It had been like…

"What…?" Naruto couldn't find any words to say, just like the rest of them couldn't, as they watched the scene before them with wide eyes.

"You…" Even Sasuke couldn't hide his disbelief, his shock.

"Brought her back to life." Jiraiya moved forward, listening to Ayame's heartbeat as it slowed back to a normal pace for a human. Even her breathing was calm. Ayame looked confused for a moment before she slipped into unconsciousness, her body completely exhausted. "That woman was dead."

"I think we found your gift, Sakura." the blonde murmured, still in shock. "You can revive the dead."

Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction, knowing what this would mean. "Reviving one woman does not mean Sakura can revive–"

"You saw what she did, Uchiha!" Tsunade growled, a desperation tugging viciously at her heart. "Tanaka Ayame died right in front of our eyes and Sakura has just managed to bring her spirit back from the other side."

"Spirits linger." he countered.

"You–"

Sakura collapsing had them cutting themselves off, had Itachi moving forward with unseeable speed and catching her. "I will hear no more of this." he stated quietly, holding Sakura close to his chest. "And I will not have you or anybody else pushing her into something that may not even be true. Until we have more evidence that this was not just a miracle, and was in fact Sakura's 'gift', it stays quiet."

Not even waiting for a reply, Itachi made his way upstairs to put Sakura to bed.

He was glad to find that it was merely exhaustion that had caused her to collapse, but that in itself was strange. Sakura had been fully rested before that… Whatever it had been. It only went to show how much effort and energy she'd just put into saving the human's life, all the while ignoring the painful throbbing in her throat, the one that demanded she sunk her teeth into the woman and drained her of her blood.

As Itachi set Sakura down onto their bed, pausing to brush the hair off her face, he allowed a minute frown to settle of his features. Like with everything else, he had felt all the things Sakura had been experiencing, like he was experiencing them himself. Worry. Desperation. Fear. Panic. More desperation. But… That was where it became… uncertain.

What the hell had that feeling been? Once more Itachi's features were blank as he sat down beside his unconscious mate, leaning back against the headboard of the bed. He disliked how it creaked beneath his weight, how the headboard was even creakier, but it couldn't be helped. Itachi knew how old everything in this cabin was.

That feeling had been… Painful. For him it had been, anyway. No, it had been agonising. Sakura had been detaching herself from him, detaching her spirit from her body. Perhaps that was why he reacted in such a way to the others' words? Whilst she was technically dead, obviously, her spirit was still within her body. It wasn't because of their bond, but because of their _connection_ that Itachi had felt what he did. He sighed. It was difficult to explain, even in his own mind.

If what the others were saying was true, then that would make Sakura the first vampire – first supernatural being – who could revive the dead. Not a reanimation like Itachi knew Orochimaru could do, but a real, living person. Granted, the woman hadn't been dead all that long (not even a minute), however, her heart had stopped, as had her breathing, and her blood had already been cooling, all advancing quickly due to the parasite that had been eating away at her organs.

It was as though Sakura's spirit had slipped into a different world entirely, the one where the dead, lived. She had no idea she was doing it, either. From what Itachi had gathered via their bond, via being able to read her mind, Sakura had simply been following what she knew to be Tanaka Ayame's 'light'. That 'light' was most likely her spirit, however.

And now that his mate had opened that gate between the living and the dead, she would forever be aware of it. How did Itachi know this?

He was aware of it, also. He could feel it through their bond.

It was difficult to ignore, even for him, who was not directly linked to it.

Whilst it could be a good thing for Sakura to be able to revive the dead, it would also be bad. If word got out and other supernatural beings became aware of what she could do, they would be tracked down. They would beg her and beg her until she gave in and revived their loved ones. What would that lead to? Hunters. Hunters would catch wind of a pink haired vampire who could bring back the dead, which would put Sakura right to the top of their priorities list.

After all, what was the point in killing supernatural beings, if one of them continued to bring them back?

There was no denying that, should this be Sakura's gift, it would be incredibly useful. Should a war ever break out between hunters and the supernatural kind, she would be alongside Tsunade and Jiraiya (a sign of her being superior, being important) in the battles.

But what was something Itachi had always wanted?

For Sakura not to be tainted, to not be involved in any wars, of any kind.

That was naïve, however. Should a war ever break out, there would be no protecting Sakura from the horrors that would undoubtedly come along with it. No. Knowing her the way he did, Itachi knew that Sakura would be right on the front lines, protecting everyone the best she could. Even if it cost her, her own life.

However, that could not happen.

Sakura could not die.

He would make sure of it.

* * *

"How are you feeling?"

It had been two days since her collapse.

Sakura had only just regained consciousness.

Instead of answering Tsunade's question, Sakura frowned in the direction of the dining room, already knowing that Tanaka Ayame was no longer with them. There were no hearts beating in the cabin, no blood rushing through somebody's veins. Either Tsunade had taken the human back to the hospital, or…

"Where is she?"

"I took her back to the hospital, of course." the older woman answered simply, leaning back in her seat. "While I wanted you to test your restraint, I wouldn't take the risk of having you wake up to the smell of her blood. It would be too much, too soon, for you."

Unnecessary, considering just how much Sakura had fed herself before working on Ayame. However it was a gesture she was grateful for. Already she could feel the beginnings of her throat burning – the only downside she had found so far to this new life. Constant hunger and an insatiable thirst for blood.

"Sit."

Sakura did so without a word.

There was a pause that lasted the length of a heartbeat before Tsunade spoke up again. "How did you revive Ayame?"

"I don't know."

"Sakura–"

"I swear, I don't know!" She sighed irritably even though it was disrespectful of her to do so. "All I can remember, is that, at that moment, I couldn't give up on her. I kept a lock on her spirit and dragged it back to her body. That's all I can remember."

Interesting. Narrowing her eyes a fraction, Tsunade bit her thumbnail. It was a terrible habit of hers, one she had been trying to stop for well over a century now. "You locked onto her spirit? How?"

The words had Sakura frowning more deeply, her confusion obvious. "We can see people's spirits, right? Like yours. It's a deep, dark shade of green, although there's a pale blue, almost silver, that sometimes flashes. Itachi's is crimson. Sasuke's is navy. Naruto's is orange. Jiraiya's is…"

The look on Tsunade's face had her words trailing off.

"Why have you never mentioned this before?"

"Because I thought it was normal!" Sakura answered quickly, eyes widening. "I thought all vampires could see somebody's spirit!"

"No… We can't." the blonde whispered in response. "There's only you, as far as I know." She should know. She'd been searching a long time for somebody with this gift. "That's how you're able to track Itachi so easily. As well as your bond, you can sense his spirit."

"It's like… It's like his is entwined with mine."

A small smile pulled at her red painted lips. "Go find Itachi, Sakura. We can finish our discussion later."

She needed some time to get her head around everything.

* * *

He was sitting high in a tree when she found him, eyes fixated on something in the distance. When she woke up, he had been there, though told her that Tsunade wished to discuss what happened with her, that she should find him afterwards and he wouldn't be too far.

"Tsunade–sama thinks we found my gift." Sakura told him quietly, leaping up to the branch he was sat at like it was nothing to jump over a hundred feet high. When Itachi did not answer her, she sighed and sat beside him, eyes glued to his features to try and read them. Nothing. "I think she might want to practice–"

"And how do you feel about it?" A short pause. "Do you want to?"

Despite it being rude of him to cut her off, she wasn't annoyed. It was the first time somebody had asked her what she wanted, what she thought or felt about it. No, she hadn't been awake long and so far, she'd only crossed paths with Naruto and Tsunade (as well as Itachi), but those two had spoken to her in a way that made it seem like there was no choice. She was going to practice bringing people back to life and that was that.

"I think…" Another frown. "I think it would be useful for me to practice, to fully learn what I'm capable of, but…"

"But?"

"Everyone has lost somebody they love." she whispered, tears filling her eyes. "If I could, I would do and give anything to bring Ino back, even if it's not to _me_. I would gladly bring her back just for her parents. For mine. But… I can't do that. Questions would be asked and it would be completely selfish to bring her back. It would only cause great confusion and pain for those who loved her. Ino's…" her bottom lip trembled. "Ino's dead and there's no bringing her back. I've always believed that things happen for a reason. Even the bad things can bring good. I was attacked, but it brought me to you!"

It now made sense to him why Sakura was much more emotional than other vampires, why she was capable of such strong feelings. She could sense people's spirits, could easily feel their emotions. Just remembering how strongly she'd felt when she found out about Ayame's stillborn told him that! His mate was an empathic creature indeed.

"And… If people found out that I was able to bring back their loved ones, I'll become a target. You'll become a target. Everyone I love will become a target! I can't do that. I can't let any of you be harmed!"

Noticing that she was becoming more and more panicked, Itachi turned to the side and cupped her cheek, butting his forehead to hers and sighing. "I will not allow for anything to happen to you, hime." he told her softly, quietly. "That includes protecting those you care for."

Green eyes searched his until they slowly shut. She relaxed against him, moving her forehead so that it was resting on his shoulder. It was a nice feeling having Itachi gently stroking her back and it only vaguely occurred to her that she wasn't tensing up at the feeling of somebody touching her back. Since the attack, Sakura had been understandably uneasy about anybody touching her back – this included Itachi. However, at night, they worked on that. No, they weren't sexually intimate, but they were emotionally intimate. Nothing was private in the cabin, so they refrained from touching each other sexually.

"I informed Tsunade–sama that you will not be training today." he spoke quietly into her ear, breathing in her scent with every breath he took.

Sakura frowned, but refused to move. She was too comfortable where she was. "And she just accepted it?"

His smirk was hidden.

Of course Tsunade hadn't simply accepted it. She'd been rather angry, actually.

However, Sakura deserved a break. How many months had she been training non–stop for, now? Well over four. They didn't really keep track of time. And whilst Sakura trained, Itachi trained Sasuke, preparing him for his battle against Orochimaru. Sometimes he enjoyed watching Sakura train, however. She truly was flourishing under Tsunade's tutelage.

Without a word of warning, Itachi gently pulled away and slipped off the branch, effortlessly landing on his feet despite the hundred feet drop. A second later and Sakura followed, frowning in confusion as she accepted the hand held out to her.

"Itachi?"

"Come with me, Sakura." he murmured, tugging on her hand until she was following him. "I have a surprise for you."

She followed silently, allowing Itachi to guide her further and further into the forest, further and further away from the cabin. As they walked she admired the scenery around her, smiling to herself at the sight of flowers blooming, a clear indication of spring beginning. Spring was Sakura's favourite time of the year and not just because her birthday was in the spring. It was because of the signs of new life. The beauty of everything blooming and growing and _living_.

"I found it just the other week while out on a hunt." Itachi told her, pulling her closer to his side. "While not our own, I believe this place will help you relax just as well."

And as they entered a clearing, her breathing stopped.

It was beautiful.

And like Itachi said, whilst it was definitely not their own lake, this one was just as breathtaking. This one was more private, probably why it took investigating it to actually discover the place. The large trees that surrounded the cabin, hiding it from view, also hid the lake. Like it was their own little safe haven, in a way.

Her breath left her as Sakura took a step forward, the soft grass easily being squashed beneath her feet, though bounced back to life the moment she was off it. The air surrounding the lake was warm, slightly humid, leading Sakura to believe that it wasn't just a lake they were at, but actually a hot spring. Well, a warm spring, she realised as she knelt down and felt the temperature of the water. How and why wasn't necessary to know. All Sakura needed to know was how long they could spend here, and how much time.

It had been like a small, nagging feeling in her stomach not having anywhere to _be_ with Itachi, constantly reminding not just herself, but also Itachi, that they had very little privacy, if any at all.

Mixed in with the grass were small daisies, another surprise, although Sakura didn't comment on it and instead slipped off her converse and socks and rolled up her jeans. The grass was like heaven to her feet, caressing them gently as she placed her things a safe distance from the water and sat down on the edge of the bank.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Itachi." Sakura told him earnestly as he sat down beside her, having done the same with his shoes and trousers, before sinking his feet into the water like she suddenly did. "It's beautiful."

He responded with a small smile.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Sakura focused on their surroundings, grateful to find that they were alone.

"Can we go for a swim?"

Nodding silently, Itachi stood up, holding out his hand and pulling Sakura to her feet also. And when she walked over to her shoes and socks, he followed, unbuttoning his shirt as he did so. Knowing already that they were alone and would be for quite a while, he neatly folded his shirt and placed it beside his own shoes, next unbuttoning his trousers and removing them.

However, he almost dropped them as Itachi caught sight of Sakura.

Instead of only removing her jeans and shirt like he'd been expecting, she was undressing fully, surprising him completely when she unhooked her bra and dropped it onto the ground, freeing her breasts. Having never seen her so bare before, Itachi allowed himself a moment to admire his mate. Like he had imagined (though would never admit to it), her breasts were small, although not as small as they appeared to be when she stood beside Tsunade. They were more like a handful and Itachi couldn't help but admire the way they needed no support, perky enough not to need a bra. There was a shy smile on her lips and he just knew that, should she still be able to, Sakura would be blushing.

His mouth felt unbearably dry as Sakura's hands moved to her underwear next and while they were plain and nothing too special, his eyes were fixed on the way she slid them off, kicking them under her jeans when they fell to the ground.

"Sakura…"

Hearing the lower tone of his voice, hearing how husky it sounded, sent a shiver down her spine. "Don't tell me you're going to leave me to swim naked _alone_?" she teased quietly, her stomach doing nervous somersaults.

It was like Itachi was on autopilot as he removed his own underwear, watching as Sakura's apple green eyes ran over his body in a way that wasn't unpleasant in the slightest. Until now, he'd never truly cared about what his body looked like, but seeing that look in Sakura's eyes, seeing how they were glued to his body like he was a work of art, made his male pride soar.

Sensing her nervousness growing, he held out his hand and once she accepted it with her own, he guided her closer to the water, slowly making his way down the bank until the water rose high and higher. Like she'd noticed earlier, it was pleasantly warm, almost as though it was embracing them.

The water was clear, allowing him to continue to view her body at his leisure, though the faint steam that shadowed over the lake covered them from others' prying eyes. Should they look in on the two, they would only be able to faintly see Itachi's chest as well as both of their heads. They were deep enough into the water that it reached Sakura's breasts, though with the way it moved around them, it made it possible to see more of her chest.

"You're beautiful, hime." he murmured.

He wished he could have seen her blush, if only just one time.

Slowly, hesitantly, the hand that wasn't holding onto his hand, rested on his shoulder, though moved beneath the water only moments later to hold onto Itachi's side, squeezing ever so slightly as Sakura stretched up to press her lips against his jaw.

All stress left his body like somebody had blown out a candle. How was it possible for such a seemingly simple kiss, to relieve him of all built up stress? The past couple of days had been so very stressful for everyone, and he was no exception. Closing his eyes, Itachi allowed Sakura to continue pressing her soft lips against his jaw, though was happy when she began moving upwards, silently asking him to lean down so that she could reach his lips.

He met her lips with his own without being asked, enjoying how they moved against his, how soft and silk–like that they felt. After a few moments his free hand lifted up and cupped her cheek like she was the most delicate being he'd ever laid eyes on, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss in the process.

A burning heat erupted within him at the moan she released.

His touches set fire to her skin, scorching her and leaving a trail of heat wherever his caresses moved to next. Sakura relished the feeling and returned it, doing the same for him as he was for her. If her heart was still beating, she knew that it would be pounding the moment Itachi lowered his kisses to her neck.

Shifting in the water ever so slightly, Sakura took a step closer, closing the small distance between their bodies and pressing hers up against his, another low moan sounding at the feeling of his skin brushing against hers. It was the first time such a thing had happened. Well, without their clothes on.

Itachi pulled her deeper into the water as his lips moved back to hers, as he lifted her effortlessly and encouraged her to wrap her legs around his hips. There was a moment of hesitation from Sakura as she stared up at him, the water lapping gently at their pale, flawless skin, before she did as he wordlessly told her to, gasping into their kiss as she felt something hot and hard pressing against her.

Her eyes were glazed, half–lidded with lust as they locked with Itachi's and she saw that his were no different. There was an animalistic, hungry look that was fighting so hard to dominate him, telling him to dominate _her_, but Sakura could see that Itachi was stomping those urges back for her.

"Sakura?"

Hearing the question in his tone, that smooth, silk–like tone that never failed to send a shiver up her spine, asking her if she was truly sure about this, she nodded, not able to find her voice. A second later another gasp tore from her as Itachi slowly slid his length into her heat and he couldn't stop himself as his forehead pressed to hers once he had lowered her fully onto him, a soft sound of pleasure escaping his throat.

The look in her mesmerizing apple green eyes only added to his pleasure as he saw the wonder, the awe. Through their bond, he could feel that she was starting to realise that sex didn't mean she would be hurt. Yes, Sakura knew that Itachi would never hurt her, but after she had been violated in such a way, after those men had abused her and taken away her innocence, he couldn't blame her for being afraid.

Cupping her cheek with one hand, Itachi kissed her deeply, affectionately, both content with simply staying that way for a few moments. It wasn't until Sakura urged him to that Itachi began to move his hips against hers in a slow grind, his breath leaving him at the feeling that overwhelmed him. What made the feeling more intense was that he could feel how it made Sakura feel, too.

One of her arms wrapped around his shoulders whilst the other locked under his arm, her nails digging into his back, but not enough to cause him any discomfort. In fact, Itachi found that he rather enjoyed it. His hold on her hip tightened and sensing what he was trying to tell her, Sakura moved her hips against his, her eyes sliding shut and a breathless moan filling the air around them, adding to their pants for breath.

His hand ran through her soft, pastel pink hair as he tilted her face towards his once more, capturing her lips in a passionate, fiery kiss. In response, Sakura shifted closer until there wasn't a single inch of space left between them and her legs tightened their hold around his hips, trying to bring him as close as she possibly could. It was so much better than she ever could have imagined, being with Itachi like this. Who could have guessed that she could feel this way? Certainly not her. For a while now she'd been certain that sex just wouldn't be possible for her, not after everything. But… Why should what happened dominate her life? Why should it have an effect on her relationship with Itachi? It shouldn't and it wouldn't. She refused to let that happen.

Suddenly, Sakura broke away from the kiss and buried her face into his neck, her breathing coming much more harshly and she squeezed her eyes shut. It didn't take a genius to know what was happening – especially as he felt her walls tightening around him, grasping at his length – even if he wasn't an expert in this particular area. He quickened his pace, their slow grind becoming slightly faster and more forceful as she cried out his name wantonly into his shoulder. The feeling she was bringing to him as she came undone around him was like no other and it was enough to bring forth his own orgasm. Itachi's eyes fluttered closed, his pants for breath puffing over her shoulder, down her back, making her shiver, and a throaty whisper of Sakura's name fell from his lips.

Their grinding slowed back to its original pace as they helped each other ride out their orgasms, as they tried to draw out the wonderful, blissful feeling between them. They stayed that way for quite some time, gently rocking against each other, leaving soft kisses here and there on the other's skin.

His hand was running through her hair again, eyes watching hers with the warmth that always showed when they were alone.

"I don't want to go back yet." she whispered against his lips, eyes staring down at them with that same glazed look as earlier. "I want…"

Gently backing them up to the edge of the lake, Itachi sat down on the lifted area, slightly thankful that it wasn't entirely dirt, but more like very large stones underwater.

"We can stay here as long as you like."

Feeling her arousal through their bond was making his stomach pool hotly, making him harden once more. The bond and his body were both demanding that he satisfy her once more, even though he just had.

Hesitantly, Sakura shifted her thighs, settling them on the sides of his hips before slowly rolling her own into his.

With the way she clutched onto him tightly, the way he whispered her name and pressed hot, open mouthed kisses onto her neck, guiding her into a steady rocking movement, they both knew that they wouldn't be returning to the cabin for a while.

* * *

"They're still not back?"

The man opposite her gave a small smirk, folding his large arms over his wide chest and leaning back in the wooden chair he was seated on. It looked ridiculous, in her opinion. The chair should have collapsed under the muscular man's weight. "They're young, Tsunade." he chuckled lowly. "Well, Sakura is. I don't doubt that they'll be away all night."

She sighed with annoyance and shook her head. "Is sex all you think about? I'm surprised you're not out there spying on them."

He chuckled again, the sound rumbling from deep within his chest. "Itachi would know I'm there in an instant."

"As would Sakura."

"Eh? Give me more credit than that! I'm not an amateur at stealth and hiding myself, you know."

Once more, Tsunade sighed and got up, moving over to a cabinet and grabbing a bottle of sake as well as two sake cups. It wasn't common for vampires to eat or drink human food and drinks, as their food tasted like slime on their tongues, but the sake wasn't bad. Actually, Tsunade could remember the very first time she tasted the stuff, back when it was first created. Oh she had made sure to thank the creator very much. Since then, she always kept at least one bottle of the stuff on her.

"I don't doubt your abilities, you pervert. She can sense people's spirits. For example, mine is a deep green, though Sakura said that sometimes, a flash of a silver–blue colour shows."

His eyes widened. "You mean…?"

After pouring herself a cup of sake, the blonde quickly knocked it back. "Yeah. _His_ spirit. It's been so long, though. How is it he's still connected with me?"

"We have always argued about soul mates and whether or not it's true." When Tsunade shot him a dry look, he shook his head with a sigh. "That's your problem, Tsunade. You refuse to believe in love. Other than _him_ and perhaps your younger brother, you never allowed yourself to love another. And even if you do begin to accept love, you absolutely refuse to believe in fate and soul mates."

Honey brown eyes drifted to the wall behind Jiraiya, refusing to make eye contact. Briefly, the two of them had been lovers and over the millennia, they'd occasionally fallen into bed together. However, in the past hundred years, nothing had happened between them. Why? Because of… _Him_…

She gritted her teeth.

When it became obvious that he wouldn't receive a reply, he tried a different approach and spoke of a different topic, although he knew they would soon get back to _him_. After all, the two were connected now.

"You've been searching a long time for a girl like her, Tsunade." Jiraiya murmured, watching as she poured them both another cup of sake. "What will you do?"

She sighed, swirling the sake in her cup. "I don't know. It's been well over a century since I last saw him, Jiraiya, and even longer since I saw my brother. It's… overwhelming knowing that that girl holds the power to bring them back." Shaking her head, Tsunade leaned back in her seat. "She's a siren, Jiraiya. Perhaps not as dangerous but she _is_ a siren, and I know that you've noticed it, too."

He nodded once. "I have. It's her innocence that lures people in. Unlike sirens, however…"

"Unlike sirens," Tsunade downed her sake, placing the cup down on the table firmly, "she doesn't lie and doesn't lure them to their deaths. Everything about her is… real. Innocent. I can't take advantage of that."

"You don't have to."

The voice stunned them both and when Tsunade glanced over Jiraiya's shoulder, she was surprised to find Sakura standing in the doorway, Itachi right behind her. There was a noticeable difference in the pair of them, how they stood closely to each other.

"Done already?" Tsunade questioned, raising a fine, blonde eyebrow.

"Seems like you have lost yet another bet, Tsunade." Jiraiya chuckled, leaning forward and catching her eyes. "And now you owe me."

Damn it.

Itachi's eyes narrowed at their words, but instead of making a fuss about it, Sakura took a deep breath.

"I'll bring them back for you, shishou." Sakura stated as she walked further into the room. "All you have to do is ask."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed dangerously. Just how much of their conversation had Sakura heard? "You don't even know how to use your gift yet, Sakura. You–"

"Can try." she whispered. "I can feel it, Tsunade–sama. Your pain. I've been feeling it from the moment I met you, no matter how badly you try to hide it."

A low warning growl tore from the blonde's throat. "Sakura…"

"Let me try. We can practice and practice and as soon as I'm ready, I'll do everything to bring them back to you. You've done so much for me, Tsunade–shishou." Sakura practically begged, feeling Tsunade's pain increasing. "Let me try this. For you."

And there was that feeling again. The one she and Jiraiya had been talking about. Sakura was like a siren, one who was incredibly difficult to ignore or push aside. Her innocence was calling to Tsunade, luring her into what felt like an embrace of safety and love.

"I…"

When red painted lips closed, Sakura took a step forward, ignoring the other two sets of eyes on her as she spoke only to Tsunade.

"Shishou, let me bring him back for you."

How could she ignore such an offer?

"Who was he?"

Tsunade's eyes closed in defeat, beginning the story of her pain. "His name was Katō Dan…"

* * *

**A/N - ****So in less than six weeks, five now I think, my little nephew is going to be born! I'm so excited to meet him and spoil him rotten! Ugh, it's a shame my brother lives in a different town, but I've already told him I'll be babysitting the baby all the time.**

**Okay, good mood spoiled. The 'celebrity' I grew up absolutely adoring died on Monday and people are saying he committed suicide. While girls nowadays have One Direction or Justin Bieber, I had Lil' Chris and I'm actually gutted that he's dead. Got to meet him on my sixteenth birthday! He seemed so kind and just a genuinely nice person. RIP Chris Hardman x**

**Another thing that spoiled my good mood is that I had my last Japanese lesson today :-(**

**But, it's a known fact that I always write when I'm in a bad mood. Perhaps that's why I always end up going on killing sprees. Hm...**

**What do you all think about Sakura's gift? Complete and utter bullshit, or really useful? Not going to lie, I got the idea from American Horror Story. Third season, I think.**


	16. How Is That Even Possible?

**Chapter 15 – How Is That Even Possible?**

_It was late at night as she walked down the streets and even though centuries had gone by, the lighting of the streets was just as bad as it had always been. Well, perhaps that was an exaggeration, because it wasn't as bad. It just wasn't great. It certainly made travelling for women during the night, dangerous._

_Usually, women would not leave their homes after a certain time. That was only married women, or betrothed women, however. What about the ladies of the evening? They were out late every night and so far, she'd already come across seventeen of them lurking around the street corners, leaning provocatively against the walls. There wasn't an ounce of desire or arousal on the women who were picked up by lonely men. In fact, there was only acceptance and pain._

_Women without families, or perhaps even widows who were in need of extra money to support their families, had no choice but to prostitute themselves. In this century, jobs were not available for women. They were supposed to stay at home and be good wives, supposed to raise their man's children while he went to work and made a living for them. And if they didn't earn enough? Then that was too bad. The women of this century weren't even educated. They were like broodmares._

_Gritting her teeth, the blonde tugged her cloak tighter around her body. She couldn't wait to enter the next century and if things hadn't changed by then for women, then she would make damn sure that it did._

_Strange things had been happening lately and she was here to investigate them. There'd been reports of several murders and every single one of them were linked. She just knew it. No signs of breaking and entering. No signs of a struggle. Ladies of the evening were being found, naked and dead in their beds, with all blood drained from their bodies._

_Damn it. It was times like these that she hated being one of the 'original' vampires._

_In return for eternal youth, for immortality, both she and her partner had made a deal. What was that deal? That they were to keep all others of their kind, in line. It was obvious that the one she was tracking, was not one of her own creations, nor her partner's. This one was most likely another 'original' that the man who changed her failed to warn herself and her partner about._

"_Damned Jiraiya." she muttered under her breath. "Stupid bet."_

_The price of losing their most recent bet was that she had had to travel all the way back to Konoha to investigate the wayward vampire. It was imperative that they kept their kind a secret, that all vampire stories remained just that. Stories. Humans could not know of their existence._

_For quite a while, she'd been avoiding the ever–growing village. Not even a while, actually. More like centuries, possibly even a millennia. It was simply too difficult to be in the village after she had been betrayed so viciously, after losing the person she cared for, more than her own life._

_Nawaki._

_Pausing for a moment, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Even after all this time the pain was still intense. It still felt as though it was suffocating her._

_Her baby brother had been so adorable. Recalling the image of him like it was only yesterday that she'd last seen him, she continued on her path, smiling to herself fondly at the memory of him. Chubby, blushing cheeks, stunning mud–brown eyes and a smile that could light up an entire room. What was there not to love about Nawaki? At just twelve years of age, he had been growing into a fine man, into a fine warrior._

_Back then, all male members of the family became warriors. It was completely unheard of for women to do so. Like in this century, they were to remain indoors as wives and nothing more._

_However, Nawaki hadn't seen her like that. He'd seen her as his kick–ass, annoying older sister, the one who taught him everything she knew. Despite women not being warriors, they were from a major clan, were the grandchildren of the very first leader of Konoha. Their grandfather, Senju Hashirama, had thought it important that his granddaughter was taught, at the very least, self defence. And after their grandfather died, after their parents died, it was up to herself to protect Nawaki and raise him like she would her own._

_But all of that had changed when he turned twelve years old._

_She should have known that having her brother going out to the front lines was a disaster waiting to happen, but considering the two men he left with, she had stayed quiet and wished her brother well. Every night, every damned night, she'd pray for his safe return, had prayed that her baby brother returned to her._

_Three weeks later and she was identifying what was left of his body._

_It was safe to say that that broke her in ways that there was no return. "There's no hope in helping her," the villagers had whispered behind her back. And just when they thought she couldn't do any more to earn their disapproval, she began training to become a warrior, putting many of the men to shame as she defeated them like they were nothing. Her trick? Imagining that they were ones who killed her brother. That pushed her into becoming her absolute best, but also her absolute worst._

_The two men who were on Nawaki's team supported her and it was during the harsh training, during the grieving process, that she became the lover of none other than Jiraiya. The very same man she always tore down, the very same man who could annoy her with just a simple look. But… What could she say? He was there for her, and feeling her pain just as much. After teaching Nawaki everything she knew, he was sent to Jiraiya to learn even more. The two had become friends, much to her disliking, but at the same time, she was glad it was Jiraiya that Nawaki learned under, and not some brute who would turn him into a sexist pig. Despite his womanising ways, Jiraiya could be a gentlemen and he respected women enough to never underestimate them._

_She was placed onto Jiraiya's team, the very same team her brother had been a member of. And when sent out, she was completely unforgiving on the battlefield, tearing into her enemies without a second thought._

_But then she discovered something one day that shook her entire world._

_Her baby brother died while on the front lines, but it was not by an enemy's hand. It wasn't even friendly fire, because the damage caused to his tiny, tiny body was anything but friendly. It was savagery. There'd barely been anything left!_

_Jiraiya had tried to stop her, had tried to calm her down, but she'd been in a fit of rage upon discovering what she had. It had been with pure hatred and rage that she lashed out at their third teammate._

_Orochimaru._

_Upper lip curling and fists shaking with anger, she didn't notice how her footsteps were growing louder and easier to keep track of, how she was no longer alone._

_That… That man had murdered her little brother. He had used him for practice. Practice for what? His dark magic. While finding out that Orochimaru was a witch, that he was studying dark magic, she discovered something that shattered her world. The man she'd come to know and trust as her teammate (and perhaps even friend), had used her brother and tortured him just so that he could become a more powerful witch._

_It was during that battle against Orochimaru that Tsunade was changed, that Jiraiya was also changed. He'd stuck by her side the entire battle, even though it pained him to fight against the man who was like his best friend. Like her, he'd found out at the same time just what really happened to Nawaki, however, he was stuck in denial. He didn't want to believe it._

_Seeing Orochimaru cutting into Tsunade's lungs had shoved him right out of that denial._

_Since then, whenever they crossed paths with Orochimaru, another battle ensued. Each growing more deadly over the decades, over the centuries. And still, even after all this time, after all their efforts and growths in strength, the snake–like man stayed one step ahead due to being protected by his dark magic._

_It was a three–way deadlock. Every single damned time they clashed._

_And that was when she heard the cocking of a gun, causing Tsunade's eyes to narrow dangerously as she spun around._

_The man standing a few feet away from her was nothing special. Tall, but too slim to balance out the height and his hair was unwashed, just like his tanned skin. It made her relish the travelling life, because even though there weren't many baths, there were rivers and lakes that were just as good for cleaning in._

"_Lady of the evening, I see. I'm getting sick of seeing your whore faces everywhere I go."_

_Lady of the evening? Her fists clenched tightly. How dare–_

_Suddenly, a hand appeared at the side of the man's head, gripping it tightly before it was being slammed into the wall beside him._

_She watched in stunned silence as another tall figure appeared, but it was obvious that this new man, was a warrior._

"_Are you okay?" he asked quietly, looking her over quickly for any harm. "He didn't harm you, did he?"_

_She shook her head, unable to form a single word. How was it possible that this man managed to creep by without her even noticing? Granted, she hadn't noticed the previous man, either – at least, not until the last moment. She was too lost in her thoughts. This was why she avoided Konoha. It brought everything back._

"_It isn't safe for a woman to be travelling so late, I'm afraid. Some men just can't help themselves and think it's okay to take advantage." he sighed. "What is your name?"_

_Finally finding her voice, she murmured, "Tsunade."_

"_Tsunade, huh?" The man gave her a gentle smile and stepped forward, holding out his hand. "My name's Katō Dan. It's a pleasure to meet you."_

_Slowly, she held out her hand, accepting his, though wasn't prepared for what happened next when a breeze blew in their direction, smacking his scent right into her._

_His warmth._

_His blood._

_It sung to her like a human's never had before, making her throat burn like she'd gone months without hunting, making her body heat up dramatically._

"_Is something wrong?" Dan asked, tilting his head to the side. "Are you going into shock? It's not unheard of, after such a thing has happened."_

_It took everything within herself not to move closer, to not fit her body against his and sink her teeth into his neck. Clearly he got the wrong idea about what had been about to happen with the now unconscious man, but that didn't matter. All Tsunade could do, was inhale his beautiful, beautiful scent. It was intoxicating._

"_I…"_

"_Come." he said comfortingly, slipping off his jacket and settling it over her cloak. "I know the perfect cure for shock."_

* * *

"What happened next?" Sakura asked softly, her dead heart melting.

Tsunade huffed with amusement, raising an eyebrow. "What do you think happened? He may have been a gentleman, but even he couldn't deny the temptation."

"Oh." she breathed quietly, eyes dropping to the floor. "I see."

"The morning after," she told them quietly, "I found myself wanting to give him everything I had. A month or two down the line and I foolishly told him what I was, despite the fact we must keep it a secret from humans, and I suppose that's where things began to go wrong."

From his seat on the chair, Jiraiya sighed, glancing around the cabin. "Due to it being difficult for Tsunade to stay in Konoha, after she told Dan the story of Nawaki, he brought her here, to his family's cabin. However, I guess I had a hand in messing things up for them." he sighed once more, refusing to look at Tsunade. "After not hearing anything from her, I decided to track Tsunade down, unsure as to how powerful the wayward vampire actually was." Shaking his head, he accepted the sake cup pushed over to him and downed it in one gulp, enjoying the different kind of burning of his throat. "I should never have doubted that, while falling in love, Tsunade would not stray from her mission. While Dan worked, she hunted and tracked down the other vampire. However…"

When he trailed off and Sakura glanced up at Tsunade, she found that the blonde looked torn. It was a new emotion to see on her. Actually, Sakura would even go as far as to say that it looked more like heartbreak on her shishou's features. "What happened?"

"When I tracked down the renegade, when I was confronting him, I was surprised when hunters exploded onto the scene. I suppose I took too long with finding the guy, because back then, hunters weren't anything too special. They're much more deadly and powerful now."

Sakura closed her eyes at the pain that doubled within Tsunade.

"Turns out Dan was a hunter." she whispered to them quietly, leaning back in her seat. Her honey brown eyes looked distant as she stared at the far wall, lost in her memories. "His team demanded that he killed me, that I had to be the vampire's concubine and therefore, dangerous. He refused."

Instead, Dan had taken her back to their cabin, back to the place where they had shared themselves with each other. Obviously, he'd demanded answers from her, wanting to know why she'd been involved with a, in his own words, 'bloodsucking demon'.

Quietly, so very quietly, she whispered in return, "_It's because I _am_ a 'bloodsucking demon_'."

It pained her greatly that he had looked so very sick, that he'd paled so dramatically that it looked as though he was about to faint.

However, surprising her like he always had, Dan had started to rush around the cabin, shoving everything he could find into whatever bags he had.

* * *

"_We'll leave." he told her quickly, pulling Tsunade to her feet. "Now. Just the two of us. We'll leave Konoha, I'll forsake being a hunter and you could forsake–"_

"_If I forsake being what I am, I'll starve." Tsunade whispered, pulling her hands free of his. "And you will be high on the hunters' hit list. I refuse–"_

"_I don't care about myself." At his muttered words, at the angry look on his face, she faltered. "I'll do whatever it takes to make you safe, Tsunade. And you can feed on me. Drink _my_ blood. Just please, don't hurt innocent people."_

_That was when she began to feel something she hadn't in a while. Fresh heartbreak. The feeling of tears threatening to fill her eyes, even though they wouldn't. Instead a tearless sob clawed its way up her throat and no matter how hard Dan tried to comfort her, the pain wouldn't lessen._

* * *

"That's where Jiraiya entered." she murmured quietly. "He was angry at me, of course, for telling Dan everything but after a while he understood."

"I saw you together." he answered simply with a shrug. "Like I said earlier, Tsunade. You allowed yourself to fall in love. I wouldn't stand in the way of that, not after all the pain you went through after Nawaki's death."

Of course, she already knew that. And so from there, Jiraiya had protected them both, had aided them in making their escape from Konoha, but much too soon, their pasts caught up with them. Well, her past had.

Orochimaru.

"It was during a battle against Orochimaru that Dan died." Jiraiya told them, knowing that Tsunade wouldn't be able to do so. "We sensed in the pits of our stomachs that he was close, our gut instincts leading us straight to him. Stupidly, we left Dan unguarded and unprepared for the possibility of Orochimaru's lackeys lurking around." The heavy look in his eyes told Sakura that not a day went by that he didn't regret his mistake. "Even though he took a few beginners out, there were too many for him, each new battle becoming more powerful."

"Beginners?"

"In witchcraft." Itachi stated quietly for her. "As a hunter, Dan would have been able to go up against common, beginner witches, but as Jiraiya–sama said, every time one battle ended, a stronger opponent attacked. Unlike vampires, witches have a limited amount of chakra. However, so do humans."

"I…" Tsunade gritted her teeth, raw pain on her features as she clutched at her chest. "I _felt_ him die. In my heart. My own may no longer beat, but I could tell when I lost him. And by the time I arrived, I was…"

Too late.

Seeing such a powerful woman breaking down in front of them was…

It was terrifying.

"Everything in my body became numb. Everything except for this pain." She gripped the shirt over her heart tightly. "This pain that's never let up for a single second since his death."

She hated being so weak, hated seeming so dependent, so needy. But the truth was, was that she'd gone a long time without Dan, her mate. Being separated from him was like slowly being burned alive.

Sakura bit her lip for a moment and glanced up at Itachi, hoping more than anything that she'd never have to experience the same, agonising pain. A second later and her eyes drifted back to Tsunade's. "I can try. Your… Your spirit. When you talk about Dan, it flashes with silver–blue even more so than usual. If I can lock onto his colour, I can search for him."

"But what will you bring his spirit back to?" Itachi questioned smoothly. "Surely, over time, Katō Dan's body has decomposed. It has been over a century, after all."

Eyes glancing away from Tsunade's pained features, Jiraiya looked to the couple with a surprisingly guarded look. "Like I stated earlier: Tsunade has waited a long time for somebody with a gift such as Sakura's. Do you really think this cabin is the only thing I kept preserved for her?"

Apples green eyes widened.

After hearing that they'd been lovers, that he'd taken care of Tsunade during the loss of her younger brother (and also the loss of Dan), Sakura had known that Jiraiya cared for the blonde more than he let on. But to preserve the body of her deceased lover, waiting for the extremely slim chance of somebody with a gift such as her own to come along? That was just… It was unconditional love. Even though Tsunade was in love with another, Jiraiya continued to love her and stand by her.

But why?

He gave a small smirk, folding his arms over his chest and closing his eyes. "What can I say? Tsunade's one hell of a woman."

"And… Dan's body…?"

The smirk slipped away as Tsunade's pain spiked so very clearly. "Will need a little work, obviously, but is nowhere near as bad as it could have been."

"How did you manage to preserve his body?" the Uchiha asked.

"I injected my venom into every artery within his body. Took a long time, but 'perfection' eventually happened thanks to a certain medic's help." Sakura's eyes went straight to Tsunade's, but Jiraiya shook his head. "Nohara Rin."

So that was their connection?

No, it went deeper than that, clearly.

"Those kids owe me for a lot of things and whenever I need their assistance, I summon them and give them a couple of orders here and there." he shrugged. "Helping me circulate my venom around Dan's body just so happened to be one of those orders, just like watching over that brat Naruto was another."

"Speaking of Naruto…" Sakura frowned. "I can't sense him. Or Sasuke. Are they out?"

Jiraiya nodded once. "Hunting."

Ah. That explained why she couldn't sense them. They were literally in the middle of nowhere, so no doubt the two had to travel quite a few miles to come across any humans.

"Speaking of hunting." Tsunade forced herself to be more composed, eyebrows knitting together to fight for her blank mask. "Have you hunted already, Sakura?"

"They were a little busy, Tsunade." Jiraiya chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Speaking of which… You still owe me."

She waved him off dismissively, a reluctant smile on her red painted lips. "I'm sure you'll find some way of making it interesting. You always do."

He grinned.

* * *

"Dan's body is the body of a vampire's, but since his spirit is gone, there's nothing living within it." Sakura murmured to Sasuke and Naruto as they all sat together in the shade of a large tree.

When they returned the night before, fresh from their hunt, it had been to a heavy, solemn atmosphere, one that immediately demanded their attention. Had it not been for the previous emotions that they were only faintly able to pick up from Tsunade and Jiraiya the night before, the two men would have left it alone, would have respected the others' privacy. However, since they _had_ picked up on the raw, painful emotions and since Sakura was just as emotional as the other two had surprisingly been, Sasuke and Naruto had questioned her the moment the other three were away.

For a moment, there was silence as Naruto leaned back on his hands. "So… Kind of like an empty home?"

She shrugged. "I suppose so."

"And you really think you could bring him back?"

"I can try." Sakura finally opened her eyes and glanced at the two men sat on either side of her. "Her brother, Nawaki… I don't think reviving him is possible, since there won't be a body to put his spirit into, not to mention the fact that I don't know what his spirit looks like. Dan, however… I know I have a good eighty percent chance of successfully bringing him back to her."

"That's great and all," Sasuke drawled and stared up at the blindingly blue sky, "but what about Dan?"

Naruto frowned and sat up. "What?"

"He was a hunter, right? And Tsunade told you last night that he asked her not to harm the innocent. Clearly he was against our way of living." Shrugging, he added, "He might hate you all for bringing him back into a life of being a vampire, damning him to our way of living for eternity."

"But…"

When Naruto trailed off, Sakura spoke up, her frown obvious not just on her features, but also in her voice. "But he'll be with Tsunade–shishou. They loved each other so much, Sasuke! Surely he'd be grateful if I give him a hell of a lot more time with her?"

"And if he's not?" he retorted coolly, dark eyes slowly drifting from the sky, to hers. "What if he can't control his thirst, therefore becoming the monster he never wanted to be? There had to have been a reason why Tsunade didn't change him in the first place."

She shook her head quickly, refusing to take notice of Sasuke's questions, no matter how right they seemed to be. "I'm bringing him back whether you agree with it or not. Even Itachi agrees with me on this. Tsunade–shishou deserves this chance at happiness."

A pause. And then, so very quietly, Naruto asked, "What about ero–sennin?"

Another pause.

Sakura sighed, understanding clearly what he was asking. "This was all Jiraiya–sama's idea, Naruto." she told him softly. "Even though it's obvious he loves Tsunade–shishou, he'd give anything to see her happy, even if it costs him his own happiness. That's why he preserved Dan's body in the first place. For an opportunity like this." Running a hand through her hair, she sighed again. "He just wants her to finally be happy, especially after all the things O–"

When she cut herself off, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Orochimaru. You can say his name."

"Sorry." she smiled sheepishly. "After everything Orochimaru has done, after he took her little brother away, and then after his lackeys took Dan away too, don't you think she deserves this? Jiraiya–sama seems to think so."

"You're missing the point."

"No, I'm not!" Sakura said irritably at Sasuke's words. "Don't you get it, Sasuke? Dan _gave up_ being a hunter for Tsunade–sama! He went against everything his family taught him, everything he believed in, for her. So that he could be with her. I get that you probably don't fully understand that kind of love, but I do. If I had to, I'd give up whatever I have to for your brother! That's what love is. It's about sacrifice and loving even the ugly parts of a person. It's–"

He shook his head with annoyance. "You wouldn't have to give anything up for him. He wouldn't let you do that." Silence for a moment. "I know what it is to give everything up for somebody, Sakura. Don't treat me like I'm a child."

"You…?"

Even Naruto looked shocked.

"Not that kind of love, trust me." He sighed with annoyance, reluctant to share such information. "When I was told about Itachi's illness, I gave up a lot of things – or as much as he allowed me to after figuring out what I was doing. I stopped going out with friends. I stopped my education. I stopped training to become a warrior. I stopped being a _child_. Everything I did up until our change, was for him. Everything centred around Itachi. So don't go spewing this bullshit about not understanding sacrifice or love. He's my brother. While I don't care for him in the way you do, or in the way Tsunade cares for Dan, it's still love. It's still sacrifice."

"Sasuke…" Sakura sighed when he looked away from her, a vicious glower on his features. "I'm sorry."

He rolled his dark eyes.

"Oi…" They both looked to Naruto, taking in his saddened, contemplative expression. He looked troubled, or like he couldn't understand something. "Could you guys… Could you maybe tell me more? About love, I mean?"

Sakura opened her mouth, a frown on her features, before Sasuke caught her eye and shook his head. And it was then that she remembered Naruto's story. He'd been locked away for his entire human life, not truly experiencing bonds until Itachi dragged Sasuke along with him one day to introduce the pair. Even then, that was not the type of love she and Sasuke had been discussing. Whilst it was brotherly love, it was not entirely the same. How did she know? Well, would Naruto ask if he didn't know already?

When his troubled expression remained, Sakura reached out and took one of his hands, giving him a small smile. "Love's hard to explain. While I was still human, I thought that love was complicated, indescribable emotions. Becoming a vampire made it… so much more so."

His frown deepened. "How?"

"Well…" Now, it was Sakura who appeared thoughtful. "Growing up, there was this boy in all of my classes. Sai. Kind of looked like you, Sasuke, now that I'm thinking about it." He grunted, silently telling her to get on with it. "Anyway, I thought I loved him. Every time I saw him, I always blushed and got nervous, to the point where it was difficult simply being in the same room as him. He brought out an entirely different side of me without even trying and I couldn't explain a single thought that went through my head. Everything centred around him."

Uncertainly, Naruto nodded. "And what happened? Did you go out with him?"

"No." She smiled softly. "It turned out that he was in love with Ino. She loved him, too, actually."

This time, it was Sasuke who spoke up, his own frown in place, although it looked more like a scowl. "And she just took him without thinking of you?"

"No, no." Part of her was angry that they'd think so lowly of her deceased best friend, but that only lasted momentarily. They had never and would never get to know her. They didn't know just how selfless and caring Yamanaka Ino could be. "She kept rejecting him until I one day told her to be with him, even though I believed I was in love with him." Just as Naruto opened his mouth, about to argue, she cut him off. "That's what love is, Naruto. It's sacrifice. I gave up the guy I loved because I knew great things would come of Sai and Ino's relationship. I loved them both so much and wanted them to be happy."

"And were they?"

She nodded, a warm smile on her face. "They were perfect for each other. But one day, about a year later, Sai had to move away for some unknown reason. It upset… No, it devastated Ino. It broke her heart. For him, however, she tried to get over it and be happy. A few months later and the fire happened." Sakura closed her eyes, already feeling them stinging with tears. "Sai came to her funeral after I called him to tell him the news. Nobody else thought to tell him or invite him to the funeral. He was… devastated. The last time I saw him, the last I heard from him, he joined the military."

Naruto fell backwards onto the grass, eyes fixed onto the blue sky high above them. Every now and then a bird flew over them and part of him wondered what the other two would do if one of those birds happened to shit on them. It was a random thought, but pretty much everything that went through his mind was random. "What about you, Sasuke? I know you've been with women over the years, but did you ever… I don't know. Did you ever fall in love?"

Slowly, Sakura's eyes opened, staring at Sasuke's surprisingly relaxed features. It was like he'd gone back in time and that thought was only solidified at the look in his eyes. He was remembering something. Or someone.

"…Once."

"Once?"

The Uchiha nodded. "There was a woman back before I was changed."

Naruto's eyes never left the sky. "What happened?"

"Orochimaru happened." he grunted. "He attacked me not long after I was changed and after such a change, it's important that the mind is protected. Itachi's told you this before, Sakura. I'm sure Jiraiya's told you too, Naruto. Or at least hinted at it." The two nodded slowly, listening intently. "My mind was, _is_ beyond repair. Some days I'm here with you all, others I'm stuck in an alternative universe, in a different life. Everyone around me is dead and all their deaths are at the hands of Itachi." He closed his eyes, willing the images that always haunted him, away. It was the first time in a long time that he'd willingly spoken about what Orochimaru had cast on him. "I distanced myself from her, tried to sever the bond between us."

Shaking his head, Sasuke's eyes went back up to the sky, trying to ignore the look of sadness on Sakura's features. It shouldn't have surprised him, because apparently, she was capable of feeling another's emotions because of their spirit. "She noticed the change in me and after one of our nights together, demanded to know what happened. I… couldn't tell her. We have to keep what we are a secret." His dark eyebrows knitted together. "She got angry. Cried. Told me that she hated what I was becoming, hated whoever had changed me and taken me away from her."

When a hand took his, holding it softly, it was safe to say that Sasuke was stunned. Again, he didn't know why. Sakura was empathic. It made him uncomfortable, having her touching him, but it was nice, he supposed. She radiated comfort. "I ended things with her that night. I couldn't make her into what I am. I refused to. She deserved to live a natural life, to have the large family she always dreamed of having. What could I offer her, huh? I'm not human. My mind is constantly torn between living peacefully, or shredding everything within reach to pieces. I can just about control my thirst. I–"

He cut himself off and gritted his teeth, refusing to continue with his weakness.

Slowly, Naruto sat up, his eyes moving away from the sky and to Sasuke's. "And that's the sacrifice part of love, right? You'd do anything to give them a better chance of living, of having happiness."

Silence for a moment. "…Yeah."

"So what happened to her?" the blond asked. "Did she get that happiness?"

Surprising them completely, a small smile pulled at Sasuke's lips and his eyes once more held a faraway expression. "A lot of it. She got married and had three children, and those three children went onto having their own children. And when she passed away due to old age, she was surrounded by her family and everyone she loved." A pause. "Everyone."

"You were there?" Sakura gasped. "Didn't that blow your cover?"

He shook his head. "It was a moment of weakness, but… I had to see her one last time before she left." A pause. Eyebrows knitting together. "Maybe it was wrong… But having me there seemed to comfort her. Just before she died, she whispered my name and smiled, like it was only yesterday that we were together."

She believed that he had come to take her to heaven, that she would finally be with the love of her life.

Sakura's dead heart melted.

Who would have thought that Uchiha Sasuke could be romantic?

* * *

Itachi breathed deeply, inhaling the intoxicating scent of his mate.

She was such a beautiful little creature and her beauty only increased with the interaction he'd caught the end of between herself and Sasuke. It was wrong to listen in, to eavesdrop (especially after telling Sasuke and Naruto that it was impolite), but Itachi had been curious. That curiosity only grew when the woman Sasuke had briefly mentioned, was brought up.

So his little brother had been in love?

It was a shame he'd never had the opportunity to meet her. She had to be something impressive to manage to capture Sasuke's heart in such a way, making him put her before himself. In the past, there had only been one other person Sasuke put before himself and that was Itachi. Instead of doing the selfish thing and turning the woman, claiming her as his mate and spending eternity with her, Sasuke had thought of her dreams and what she wanted out of life. Happiness, to be surrounded by a family and those that she loved.

But the strangest part about it was that Sasuke didn't seem bitter or sad by his choices. He'd made peace with them.

That was what love was, Itachi decided, pulling Sakura's body closer to his own in a protective embrace.

Love changed a person. He should know.

Haruno Sakura had changed him in so many ways, so much so that it was terrifying.

She had so much control over him and Itachi knew that she didn't even realise.

At the faintest of flinches, he loosened his hold, gazing down at her and assessing her sleeping features. No, it didn't seem to be his embrace that was disturbing her and going off of the emotions she was experiencing, Itachi could tell that she was having a nightmare. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to take them away other than be there for when she woke up.

Speaking of sleep… Itachi sighed and pressed his cheek to the top of her head. It had been months since he last slept, but it made him incredibly uneasy falling asleep. It was foolish, really. If he slept, he slept for hours and was more or less dead to the world (effectively terrifying his mother on more than one occasion). However, that was only because he went so long without sleeping before finally giving in. Since he was much older than the woman laying in his arms, he didn't need as much sleep as she did, but it would be important that he got a few hours at least every two weeks.

It had been four months since he last slept a full night.

He was dreading falling asleep, as it wouldn't be until at least noon when he awoke. Thankfully, Sakura knew that he would be unreachable during his slumber and that she wasn't to worry. It had happened the first time he'd fallen asleep with her and when she woke in a panic, unable to wake him, Mikoto had calmed her down and explained that it was exhaustion, and that she wasn't to worry.

It sounded ridiculous, he was aware of that. Going for so long without sleep and in the end, when he did sleep, he slept like he was dead, would most likely push people to getting more hours in so that it didn't happen. Not him. Itachi didn't like falling asleep.

For most of his human life, he'd been confined to a bed. All he'd been capable of doing was reading, writing and sleeping (and when he started to lose his sight, he couldn't even read or write). Most of his teenage years had been spent sleeping. Itachi was sick of sleeping, so stayed awake as long as he could to admire everything. Sure, he was still confined to a bed, but not in the same way. Why? Because of Sakura. She was the reason why he didn't mind staying in bed every few nights.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Itachi breathed deeply, focusing on those in the cabin. Tsunade and Jiraiya were away, searching for near–dead humans for Sakura to work on. Naruto had drifted off somewhere (whilst it was important to keep track of him, with Jiraiya and Tsunade only in the next town, it didn't matter nearly as much) and Sasuke was downstairs, fully awake and most likely training, if the way his chakra was fluctuating meant anything.

It was safe for him to sleep, Itachi decided. Since Sasuke was always highly aware of his surroundings, he'd be able to sense Itachi sleeping and would know to be more alert than usual. It was down to his brother to protect both himself, Sakura and Itachi until either the latter woke up, or the others returned.

With that thought he allowed sleep to take him.

* * *

_It was like nobody could hear her screaming._

"_Stop it!" she cried desperately, lunging forward but easily being knocked aside like she was nothing. "Leave them alone!"_

_He wouldn't stop._

_He wouldn't have mercy on them._

_A sob clawed its way up Sakura's throat as she shakily pulled herself to her feet, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. It was dirty, covered in ash and dirt and who knows what else, however, she cared very little for her appearance at that moment in time. She didn't care about the agonising aches of missing half of her hand, or her other arm. Hell, Sakura couldn't even feel the hole in her stomach because the pain was so great._

_Why?_

_Because he had them._

_He had her parents._

"_I'll give you anything you want!" she screamed hysterically as yet another snake rammed into her father's face, earning a yell of pain. "Just make them stop!"_

"_Anything?"_

_Slowly, while she nodded, the snakes backed away from her parents, Kizashi breathing a sigh of relief as he turned straight to his wife, assessing her wounds and making sure they weren't serious. He didn't care for his own, just as long as Mebuki was safe._

_Sakura took a hesitant step forward, her features pleading. "Anything."_

"_You will find me in Oto, Sakura–chan." the man hissed with a horrible, sly smirk and she felt a shiver of fear run down her spine when he suddenly began to circle her parents. "Just know that this is not only a dream. I have your parents in the real world, too. They're so desperate to see you."_

_This wasn't only a dream? Fear gripped at her heart. "Please–"_

"_You said you would give anything to protect them." He continued in that nasty hiss. "Prove that to me by coming alone. I will know if you bring Uchiha Itachi with you."_

"_Why me?" She couldn't help but sob, terrified for her parents. What must they be going through at this moment in time, out in the real world? "Why _them_?"_

"_You…" His smirk widened and his long, disgusting tongue slipped out and licked his lips. "Fascinate me." A pause the length of a heartbeat and he was suddenly in front of her, leaning uncomfortably closer and breathing in her scent. "Come to me, Sakura–chan."_

* * *

She woke with a jolt, panting harshly and not even a second later, tears were streaming down her cheeks before she could even stop them.

Her parents.

"I–Itachi…" Sakura cried, quickly turning from her side to face him, shaking him firmly. Upon realising he was asleep, however, she grew more panicked. "Itachi, please wake up! He's in my head!"

Nothing.

A sob shook the bed along with herself.

She was alone.

It had to be by herself that she saved her parents and with this realisation, Sakura remembered what that awful man said to her in her nightmare.

"_You said you would give anything to protect them." He continued in that nasty hiss. "Prove that to me by coming alone. I will know if you bring Uchiha Itachi with you."_

She had to go alone.

Her body was shaking as she pulled out of Itachi's tight embrace and the shaking only grew worse as she got out of bed and made her way over to the dresser, trying and failing to make herself stop crying. It took getting dressed and slipping on her boots to calm herself and even then, Sakura had that strange, hiccuping sensation.

She could do this. For her parents.

Going over to the bed, Sakura felt the need to start crying all over again at the sight of Itachi. He looked so at peace, so relaxed… She didn't want to leave him. But she had to, didn't she? She leaned over him and pressed her lips to his forehead, a single tear dripping onto his face.

"I love you, 'tachi." she whispered brokenly. "And I'm so sorry."

It was then that a cold, harsh voice spoke up, making Sakura whip around and fall into a protective stance in front of her slumbering mate, only to meet the deadly eyes of Uchiha Sasuke.

"What do you have to be sorry for?"

He said not to bring Uchiha Itachi…

He didn't say anything about Uchiha Sasuke.

"S–Sasuke…" She swallowed hard, taking a hesitant step forward. When Sasuke's sharingan activated, glaring viciously at her, Sakura raised her hands. "I'm not–"

"Betraying my brother? Then explain what the hell you're sorry for and why you're leaving."

"H–He's got them." Sakura whispered desperately. How could he think she was betraying Itachi? She owed her life to him! "My parents. Orochimaru has my parents! Please, help me, Sasuke!"

* * *

**A/N - Dun, dun, duuuuuuun.**

**Cliffhanger.**

**Do any of you watch Tokyo Ghoul? Safe to say I cried like a bitch at that season finale. And my favourite character is definitely Juuzou!**


	17. This day, It Was Always Coming

**Chapter 16 – This day, It Was Always Coming**

It had been silent for way too long, but every time Sakura made a move or simply opened her mouth, an even deeper rage would settle over Sasuke's features. The killing intent that was filling the small bedroom was suffocating, weighing down heavily on her chest and Sakura had absolutely no idea how it didn't wake Itachi up.

And then Sasuke was grabbing her arm and yanking her out of the room, dragging her into the one who was sharing with Naruto. Like his room in the original Uchiha home, this room was bare of anything personal. Sure, there were old decorations, but they were so old that they hardly counted (due to being faded and covered in dust). There were a few of Naruto's things covering the floor, but Sasuke seemed to have done a good job of keeping the blond's mess on his own side of the room with an invisible, fine line. The difference was comical.

Instead of saying anything immediately, Sasuke set to yanking open a drawer and pulling out four pouches, tossing two to Sakura before he attached the other two to each of his hips after checking the contents. There was a scowl on his face the entire time he did it, as he shut the drawer and opened another, pulling out two cloaks (his own and the other most likely being Naruto's). Once he saw that Sakura had attached the pouches, he threw the cloak at her, not giving her long to put it on before he was demanding answers.

"Explain how Orochimaru got into your head if you've never met him before."

Sakura swallowed hard. "Itachi and I… We…"

His red and black eyes narrowed.

Now wasn't the time to be going into stories! Saying that, though, Sasuke was going to need to know everything so that he knew what he was going up against, wasn't he?

Just as she opened her mouth, Sasuke was gripping her chin and roughly tilting her head back, forcing her eyes to meet his.

Reality slipped away.

They were in her mind, she realised with a great deal of horror and shock. While grateful that Sasuke was only skimming through the memories, as most were of herself and Itachi, she couldn't help but feel like it was a huge invasion of her privacy. That feeling only grew when they got to a part where she and Itachi were intimate, testing to see how much she could do. However, Sakura couldn't find her voice to tell him to stop. All she could see were the memories.

And when he found the memory he was looking for, when he got all he needed from it, Sasuke released her.

"You looked into his eyes." he snarled, eyes a fraction wider than usual.

Sakura's memories had been so vivid, so startling and raw, that it felt like he himself had been hiding behind Itachi as Orochimaru stood mere feet from them. It was a disgusting experience. And while Sasuke cared little for the two lackeys that flanked Orochimaru, he couldn't hold back his growl at the thought of them simply _thinking_ about him.

All of them were vermin.

"W–What?" She was feeling rather woozy, like her mind was spinning. Just what the hell had Sasuke done with his sharingan? "What did you…?"

"The effects aren't permanent." he muttered, eyes fixed on hers. Already Sasuke could see that Sakura was readjusting to everything, pushing aside her dizziness. "The reason why Orochimaru has managed to get into your head is because at some point, you made direct eye contact with him. That's all he needs to get into your head." Narrowing his eyes, he gave her a serious look. "That's why Itachi kept you behind himself like you're a child. He was trying to prevent you making eye contact with Orochimaru."

Now it all made sense.

Her eyes were wide, filled with horror and it took everything in Sakura not to grab onto Sasuke's arms and shake him desperately, already knowing he wouldn't appreciate it in the slightest. "What do we do? Itachi's going to be asleep for ages and we can't go to Orochimaru without back up! What if something happens? And my parents… He might not even have them and–"

"He has them." Sasuke grunted, walking around Sakura and over to the door, gesturing with his head for her to follow him. "And if we wait until Itachi is awake, he could kill them. Is that what you want?" When silence met him, he refused to turn back and see her expression, instead keeping his eyes in front of himself as he walked down the stairs. No matter how light they were on their feet, the old staircase still creaked loudly on most steps. "Back up will take too long. We need to go now."

"Sasuke–"

"Now, Sakura!" Once Sasuke was at the bottom of the stairs, even though she was still on the last step, he spun around and glared viciously at her, causing her to stop abruptly. "Do you want him to kill your parents?"

It was at that moment that Sakura saw a glimpse of the insanity in Sasuke's mind. Just a tiny glimpse and it had her feeling like ice on the inside, had her feeling utterly terrified of what he was capable of when losing his control.

"Aren't you sick of staying in _his_ shadow constantly? Clinging to him like you're nothing but his toy?"

That was unnecessary. Extremely so. Sakura narrowed her eyes, shoving aside her fear.

"You–"

"Shut up!" she snarled, upper lip curling. "Stop thinking about yourself and your revenge! My _parents_ are in danger and you're thinking of your revenge?" At her demands, Sasuke slowly calmed down, eyes narrowing and eyebrows knitting together like he was in deep thought. "I told you what happened because I thought you would help! Orochimaru told me not to tell or bring Itachi with me, but he said nothing about you. Itachi's been training you! Y–You can help them!"

When he spoke again, his voice was low and rough. "Where?"

It took a few minutes to compose herself, to try and calm the panic swelling within her. "Oto."

Nodding once, Sasuke opened the front door and left, knowing that Sakura would follow without question.

She did, grabbing her Gunbai on the way out.

* * *

They had to go through Konoha.

In order to reach Oto, they had to go through Konoha because otherwise, the journey would be hours longer. That was time they did not have.

What made it worse was that it was daylight and when passing through their home town, they were surrounded completely by humans, agonisingly reminding Sakura that she had not yet hunted since waking up. That should have been one of the first things she'd done and instead… Instead she had been having sex with Itachi, had been making promises to Tsunade of bringing her lover back.

In order to make it easier to track her parents, Sasuke demanded that Sakura took him to her old home, so that he could pick up their scent. He was not overly skilled in tracking, but he knew enough. Tracking Orochimaru would be useless, for his dark magic protected him and that included masking his scent and chakra, therefore making it hard to find him. They would have to track her parents.

Sakura had to remain outside as Sasuke went through her parents belongings, inhaling their individual scents and storing them to memory. Every human had unique scents. The oldest scent in the home, one that was slowly disappearing completely, seemed to be Sakura's human scent. He knew this because Sasuke could remember how powerful it had been when Itachi brought her to their home while she was undergoing the transformation, clutching her bloodied form tightly in his arms. He'd even left the house for a few hours until Mikoto had managed to wash away the blood, to clear the smell in the air so it was just about bearable to be in the same building as Sakura.

It wasn't until half a week later that her scent began to change and with it, Itachi also changed. He became more territorial, always lingering around the room and making sure nobody entered without his knowledge. Hell, he'd placed seals around the windows so that the only way to get in and out of the room, would be through the door. It was in case of any surprise hunter attacks more than anything. Also, Sasuke was absolutely not allowed to be in the same room as Sakura alone (until she woke up).

He knew not to take it offensively. Had their roles been reversed, had it been his mate on that bed instead of Itachi's, Sasuke would have been the exact same. Possessive and protective. After all, his control on his thirst was hardly great and more often than not, he would slip up. To avoid any 'accidents', Sasuke had steered clear of that room and Sakura.

Her human scent was… obnoxious. That was the only word Sasuke could think of to describe it and he understood entirely why Itachi had found it impossible to ignore her.

It seemed to be a mixture of her parents' scents but at the very same time, it had something extra to it. Surprisingly her father's scent had a sweeter smell, while her mother had a more spicy one. Together, it made an obnoxious smell that demanded your attention, but their was a certain twist to her human scent that Sasuke couldn't explain. Whatever it was, it had certainly appealed to his older brother.

Finally getting a lock on her parents' scents, Sasuke left the house in the exact order he found it in, locking the door behind himself and putting the spare key inside the third plant pot to the right (where Sakura had told him it would be).

She was sitting across from the home, hidden in the trees so that the neighbours didn't see her. It was around seven in the morning now and already, two of the neighbours had seen Sasuke entering the Haruno home, though to make it seem less suspicious, he pulled out an old phone he found in the house, holding it against his ear and talking loudly enough for them to hear him. He made it sound like he was speaking with Sakura, assuring her that the house was fine and the plants were watered, since her parents had also gone away.

They were back to travelling not even five minutes later, Sasuke keeping his mind focused on Sakura's parents and nothing more. He would deal with the snake–like man when the time was right.

Until then, he had to protect her parents.

He couldn't let his need for revenge consume him.

* * *

"We need to hunt."

Sakura's eyes widened as she caught onto his meaning, onto what he wanted her to do. "I'm not hunting humans."

"You don't really have a choice." Sasuke told her simply as they stopped just outside a small village. "Human blood strengthens us. If you were to drink animal blood, a herbivore's blood, you would have to drink a lot of it and we don't have the time."

She shook her head.

"Sakura–"

"I'm not hunting humans!" she snapped at him, taking a step away from the village. "I'll meet you back here in twenty minutes. You do what you have to, and I'll do what I need to."

It was with a shake of his head that Sasuke disappeared inside of the village, leaving Sakura to breathe deeply in order to calm herself down. And as she stepped further away from the village, turning her back on it, her hands began shaking. Even from her position, even though she was a fair distance from it, she could smell all of their blood.

But no.

She couldn't hunt humans.

So she ran into the forest, taking down the first animal she came across. It was only a deer, but as she moved further away, she came across carnivores. Mountain lions and wolves. Sasuke had stated that drinking a herbivore's blood wouldn't make her that much stronger (most likely something to do with the nutrients in their blood), but if she continued to hunt carnivores, would that make her stronger? Already, Sakura felt all energy she had wasted returning to her, could feel her chakra flaring every time she finished an animal.

Part of her wondered how much stronger drinking a human would make her.

She quickly shut those thoughts down. They weren't helping any and they wouldn't change anything. Itachi had warned her that, should she drink human blood, it would become even more impossible to ignore it and she would definitely know the difference between a human's and an animal's. It would make becoming a medic so much harder. And so far, Sakura _knew_ that she was doing great. Not a single drop of human blood had passed her lips and every time she worked on a human (even though it was only twice), she had resisted the urge to hunt, to drink their blood.

It was difficult, but not impossible.

And Sakura would do anything to keep it from becoming worse, becoming harder.

Like she had promised, twenty minutes later, she returned to the outside of the village, waiting for Sasuke, but it wasn't until five minutes later that he came to her, which was surprising. So far, in all the time she'd known him, Sasuke was always on time. He hated being late. So what…?

Her eyes widened at the lipstick on the corner of his lips.

He didn't!

But as he came closer, as the wind picked up, a certain smell blew right into her, feeling like it was smacking her in the face. It was only recently that Sakura had learned what it smelled like.

Sex.

"We're going up against Orochimaru and you…" She narrowed her eyes. "You had a quickie?"

Sasuke stared at her blankly.

Pulling out a tissue from her pouch, she stepped forward and wiped at his lips, ignoring the stunned look he gave her as she did so. "If you're going to do those kinds of things, make sure you clean yourself up afterwards." she mumbled irritably. A moment later, however, and Sakura noticed a difference in the lipstick. The lipstick itself was a rosy red colour, bordering on pink, but the other colour… Narrowing her eyes once more, she leaned a little bit closer and sniffed. Her eyes went wide. "You–"

"Drank her blood? Yes."

Why did he say it so casually? Like it meant absolutely nothing? "But you had sex with her, too!"

Sasuke gave her an annoyed look, both embarrassed and angered that he had to explain something such as this to her. "I made her orgasm. Many endorphins release themselves when a woman – or man – orgasms. They're useful to me."

When he stopped talking, Sakura shook her head. "Useful or not, I don't agree with it."

"You don't have to."

Just as she was about to turn away from him, dropping the soiled tissue to the ground with a look of disgust, she tensed, eyes going wide.

"What is it now?" Sasuke growled.

"Itachi…" Her wide eyes met his, making Sasuke's also widen a fraction. "He's awake."

* * *

His dark eyes opened languidly, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

Gone.

Only awake for a few seconds and already, Uchiha Itachi could tell that Sakura was gone. How? Well, aside from the bed being cold and empty on her side, there was only himself in the cabin. He was the only one to be found for miles. That meant Sasuke had also left, which was unusual.

_Sakura was gone._

And Sasuke had left with her.

For a few minutes, Itachi had no idea how to feel about that, about the fact he had been left behind. It was a new experience to say the least. Turning his head to the side, he gazed out of the window, not surprised to find that it was late morning, if not early afternoon. When he slept, he slept like he was dead.

And they had taken advantage of that.

Not only had they both left him, but they had also left him defenceless and ridiculously vulnerable. Itachi had trusted them to protect him, as he was obviously unable to do so himself and–

Dark eyes swirled into the sharingan, though unlike before, unlike his usual design, this was completely new.

He didn't even notice the change.

After all he had done for them, for Sakura, they had left him.

Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously.

He would find out why when he tracked them down.

* * *

It took everything within herself to stay focused, to keep her mind away from certain things. It took even more to deny the bond, to ignore Itachi.

But…

Her body was trying desperately to turn her around, to take her back to her mate, who was in pain. Whether he was admitting it to himself or not, you could not lie to the bond. He was hurting. Itachi believed that she and Sasuke had abandoned him, had betrayed him and it broke her heart that he thought that. Then again, he had every reason to think and feel those things. She and Sasuke _had_ left him behind, but not for the reasons he was probably thinking.

It felt like they were going to war and the Gunbai had never felt more heavy on her back than it did right at that moment in time. Itachi had told her that the previous owner had been a powerful man named Uchiha Madara, one whose name brought fear to the world of the supernatural kind. She could recall Obito's story, of how he had met Uchiha Madara and watched him die. A large part of her hoped it was true and that Madara stayed dead because otherwise, surely he'd come back for his war fan?

It had been used in many vicious wars, Itachi had told her.

And with it, with the knowledge of who they were going to, Sakura felt like she was going to war.

It was a terrifying feeling.

Glancing up ahead, Sakura bit her lip. Since she had informed him of Itachi now being awake, Sasuke had forced them to double their speeds, to push themselves harder than ever. If they crossed paths with anyone, they took them down and drank their blood. Well, Sasuke did. Sakura only hunted animals. They had to be as strong as they possibly could be and they had to be at their very best. Sasuke had told her that, if Itachi joined them now, if they arrived at Oto with him, Orochimaru wouldn't even blink as he slaughtered her parents.

Orochimaru was ruthless. He was cold and ruthless and completely dead on the inside. Apparently he cared very little, if at all, for others and was more likely to skin somebody alive rather than help them out – even if they were family, or comrades, or mere children. That was just who he was. And if Sakura disobeyed his direct order, to not bring Itachi with her, then he would go through with his threat and make her parents suffer.

That could not happen.

No matter how badly she wanted him by her side, no matter how badly she was aching because of his pain, Itachi could not join them. Not at the cost of her parents' lives. Sure, Sakura could always bring them back, but she could only remember her father's spirit. After being changed she'd never seen her mother, therefore, never seen her mother's spirit. If anything was to happen to Mebuki, Sakura would be unable to bring her back and that just couldn't happen. That wasn't even going into the fact she may not be able to bring them back! Like Itachi had said: it could have been a miracle.

When Sasuke suddenly dropped to the ground, coming to an abrupt halt, Sakura dropped with him, glancing around them warily. She could sense something. Spirits. But were they friendly or not?

"Sasuke?"

All he had to say was one word to make her tense.

"Hunters."

Turning around and keeping her back against his, so that they could see all around them, Sakura narrowed her eyes and swallowed hard, forcing herself to remain focused and remember everything Tsunade had taught her. "They've been following us?"

"We've hardly been discreet." he muttered in response.

She clenched her fists. "Where? It feels like they're all over!"

Lowering himself slightly into a crouch, Sasuke reached inside his cloak, unsheathing his katana. During the months they had spent at the cabin, he had made a quick trip to an Uchiha hideout with Naruto, grabbing more weapons along with his katana. "I can smell them. They're just about to reach us."

Just as the words left his mouth, a group of four hunters broke into the clearing, weapons drawn and features fixed into determined expressions.

Sakura's breathing stopped at the sight of one of the hunters.

He seemed just as stunned, or as stunned as he could be.

Taking a hesitant step forward, she frowned, quietly calling, "Sai?"

His hold tightened on his tantō. "Sakura."

There was no emotion in his voice or on his face, but the way his hands shook ever so slightly told Sakura that he was torn. She was, too. This boy had been the love of her best friend's life and both had been heartbroken and devastated during their break up, Sai's pain only increasing when the news of Ino's death was broken to him. How could she hurt him?

"The 'military'." Sasuke commented dryly, dragging Sakura back into focus.

It seemed his words also brought Sai back into focus, for his expression suddenly set into a grim mask and he lifted his tantō, aiming it at the pair of them. "You have both been careless."

"Sai, please–" Sakura tried to beg, but another hunter cut her off.

"You know her, Sai–taichou?"

His eyes narrowed a fraction. "Not this Sakura. I knew the previous one, the real one."

The real one? She shook her head. "You _know_ me, Sai! I'm still me!"

"No, I don't." he murmured emptily. "I don't know why you let them turn you into a demon, into a vampire, but–"

"I was attacked!" Sakura yelled at him. "I was attacked and he saved me by–"

"By damning you to this existence. You should have died, instead."

Sasuke growled warningly, his back touching Sakura's when he took a step backwards and closer to her, silently telling her to stay focused, to not give into her emotions. "I don't usually offer this, but I'm giving you the chance to leave. Don't think of this as an act of kindness. The only reason why I'm allowing this is because you were once precious to Sakura, and to her friend, I–"

Emotion erupted inside of Sai, his pale face twisting with anger. "Don't say her name!"

"Sai, she wouldn't–"

"_Don't_!" His voice echoed around the forest, tantō raising threateningly towards Sakura. "Keep her name off your filthy tongue!"

No matter how badly she tried to stop them, tears filled Sakura's eyes and her breathing grew shaky. Sai was… He was a broken man. That was what her heart was telling her. She could sense his spirit, could sense that it was broken. Ino's death had hit everyone who knew her hard, but Sai especially. She could see that now.

"Please." she whispered, staring him down with tear filled eyes. "My parents are in danger, Sai. I need to save them."

Something flashed in his eyes for a moment, just a split second and it looked so very much like confusion. "You're… crying?"

"She never stops." Sasuke grunted with annoyance.

"You…" Sai shook his head, lowering his tantō. "You feel emotion? Even in that frozen form?"

"Of course I do!" Sakura liked to think she sounded angry, but the way she sobbed said different. "That's why I'm begging you, Sai. _Please_ allow me to save my parents!"

Another hunter shook her head, shockingly purple hair moving with her. "You're a member of the Uchiha clan. If Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto are in danger, then–"

"No." Sai cut the woman off, frowning. "Sakura is a Haruno." Slowly, hesitantly, he stepped forward, closer to her and when Sakura showed no signs of attacking, when she continued to silently shake and cry, he closed the distance between them, utterly stunning his team. "Her parents, her _human_ parents, will still be alive." When Sasuke growled warningly, whirling around to glare at Sai, Sakura made sure to stay in between them, stopping any fights from breaking out. "Who has your parents, Sakura? Is it another vampire?"

She was getting through to him. It didn't matter how hard Sai fought to remain professional, to shove his emotions away. He was still a human being. He had still grown up with Sakura due to his relationship with Ino. "His name's Orochimaru. He's a powerful witch."

"Orochimaru?" This hunter had dark brown hair and his face was completely blank, his dark eyes boring into hers unblinkingly. "I've heard of him many times before and have even had the displeasure of encountering him. Why would he be after you?"

Her bottom lip trembled. "I wish I knew! He's…" Sakura tapped her head. "He's in here and h–he told me has them and–"

"How do you know it's not a lie?"

"We don't have time for this, Sakura." Sasuke warned her, eyes narrowing. "Itachi is going to catch up with us and he's going to be pissed."

"Itachi?" The brunet commented. "Uchiha Itachi?"

The rest of Sai's team exchanged wary glances, obviously not liking the thought of going up against Uchiha Itachi, especially if Sasuke was right and Itachi was angry. Sakura honestly couldn't blame them. She wasn't looking forward to explaining any of this mess to him, either, because she had a good idea as to what he'd say. No, Itachi would never harm her whether it be physically, emotionally or mentally, but he would be disappointed and angry. And rightly so.

"He's… He's my mate." Sakura told Sai quietly, wiping her tears away. "He doesn't know about any of this. Orochimaru told me he'd know if I brought Itachi along, and that he'd make my parents suffer if I do." Cautiously, Sakura reached out, grabbing onto Sai's arms. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Itachi, Sai. He didn't damn me, _he saved me_. This is the… This is the happiest I've been since _her_ death. Happiness just… It wasn't possible for me. When she left, I had no one. Nothing. _I was alone!"_

Sai looked away, dark eyebrows mashing together. "All Ino ever wanted was for you to be happy, especially considering all that happened to you in school." Despite his words, Sai pulled away from her, watching as Sakura's hands dropped to her sides like she had no energy at all, like they were useless. "However, this is where your path ends. You kill people, Sakura. I cannot allow that to continue."

Suddenly, Sasuke was in front of her, sharingan blazing as he glared down at Sai.

"You'll have to kill me first."

"You–"

"If you damned hunters opened your minds for just a second, you'd see the difference between Sakura and myself."

"A difference?" The dark haired man questioned. "There is no–"

"Tenzo–senpai, please allow Uchiha Sasuke to speak." Sai cut him off and when he was facing Sasuke and Sakura once more, he fractionally raised his eyebrow, silently demanding Sasuke to prove Sakura's innocence.

Ino would want him to protect Sakura at all costs, no matter what she was.

After a moment of thought, Sasuke lowered his arms, also lowering his katana as he did so. "Sakura refuses to hunt humans and has done since the day she woke up. And slowly, she has been turning my brother's appetite, also. Itachi has always had a pacifistic nature and being with Sakura has brought forth that nature even more so." There was a pause, one where the other hunters once more exchanged glances, seeming confused. "Like Sakura said before: she was attacked. Itachi saved her life. You didn't see the state she was in when Itachi saved her and you also don't know what happened. And it wasn't any supernatural creature who left her bleeding out after that attack, it was humans. Your kind."

Sai glanced down at Sakura, who was stood silently behind Sasuke and keeping her eyes on the ground. He remembered her well from school. Always the smartest in the class, always keeping her head down and studying hard. Ino had always admired that about Sakura and had always done everything she could to keep Sakura on that path, on the path to success. They were like sisters, after all. Every time somebody said something bad about or to her, Ino was there in an instant and _making_ them apologise.

He closed his eyes and sighed. Thinking about Yamanaka Ino still hurt.

"We had a promise."

Sasuke eyes narrowed a fraction, searching Sai's features to see if this was somehow a trap. There was nothing to find. "What?"

"Ino and I."

Sakura's head snapped up, eyes widening.

"When I passed my military tests, I was going to return. That was my promise: that I would always return." His dark eyes opened, seeming distant and empty all at the same time. "And in return, Ino promised me that she would wait for me."

"She did." Sakura whispered, stepping around Sasuke to get closer to Sai. He stopped the movement by holding his arm out, keeping it between her and Sai. She didn't argue and instead continued talking. "Ino waited a long time for you, Sai, but… Things happened to her. Like me, Ino was attacked."

Empty eyes sharpened and dark eyebrows mashed together. "Ino died in a fire."

"And it was her attackers who started the fire." she stated. "Unlike me, however, Ino got away from her attackers before they could hurt her. That's how they found out about me, because she came to me. Only months later, when she finally felt safe enough to go home, they locked all the doors and windows and started the fire."

Sai swallowed hard, hands shaking. "They didn't…" It broke Sakura when his eyes became glassy, when he looked anywhere but at her. "They didn't… sexually assault her?"

Slowly, Sakura shook her head, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "Ino managed to get away. She was always the tough one."

"…But you didn't."

It wasn't a question, but Sakura shook her head anyway, only managing a quiet whisper of "No."

"Uchiha Itachi…" Tenzo spoke up, stepping beside Sai and patting the younger man's shoulder. He'd been told all about Yamanaka Ino and the impact she'd had on Sai's life. "He saved your life, you said?"

It was Sasuke who nodded. "He did."

The man sighed and rubbed his eyes. "It makes you wonder who the monsters really are."

Sakura ignored Tenzo, eyes fixed on Sai's. "Please, allow me to save my parents."

Sai looked up at the man standing beside him, feeling so incredibly sick at the latest revelations. "Tenzo–senpai, I'm afraid this mission is a failure. I cannot allow any of you to kill Haruno Sakura." His eyes met Sakura's once more, determined. "Ino would despise me for it."

Even from beyond the grave, her best friend was still protecting her, Sakura realised. Perhaps not entirely, but since Sai was now a hunter, he would have had who knows what drilled into his head. From what she had gathered, all hunters believed the supernatural kind to be evil. However, it was Ino's memory that was keeping Sai from killing Sakura, that was reminding him of the girl Sakura used to be, and how hard Ino had fought to protect her from the bullies.

Only now, the bullies had become hunters.

"Perhaps so." Tenzo agreed with a nod. "However, there is no law against creating a temporary truce with vampires. At least not to my knowledge."

Scowling, Sasuke pushed Sakura further behind himself. "I can't speak for my clan."

"I know." The dark haired man nodded. "But you _can_ speak for yourselves, can't you?"

Picking up on his meaning, Sai's eyes widened a fraction and met with Sakura's. "You are the lesser of two evils, in other words. While we were ordered to dispose of the two vampires recklessly travelling through Konoha, our leader would wish for Orochimaru's death more than yours."

"You would help us?" Sasuke demanded. "You're only human. Orochimaru could–"

"We know how powerful Orochimaru is." Tenzo cut him off. "But we are no weaklings, Uchiha Sasuke. We can hold off his lackeys at the very least. That leaves you with Orochimaru to deal with."

Sakura couldn't help but smile hopefully. "We need all the help we can get, Sasuke."

Reluctantly, he nodded in agreement, holding out his hand to Sai, since he was the leader of the hunter's group. "Until Orochimaru is dead."

Sai's eyes drifted from Sakura's and up to Sasuke's, nodding once and accepting the hand, shaking it firmly. "Until Orochimaru is dead."

"We need to go." Sakura stated seriously the moment the truce was made, clutching onto Sasuke's arm. "Itachi's on the move."

They set out in mere seconds.

* * *

She was scared, he realised.

When Itachi's eyes narrowed, all but glaring out of the window, it was safe to say that Uzumaki Naruto was put on edge. It took a lot to get on Itachi's bad side and usually, only those who attempted to take his precious people's lives managed to get on that bad side. However, considering the fact that both Sasuke and Sakura were missing, along with Sasuke's weapons and Sakura's Gunbai…

After taking a few minutes to carefully think everything through, to try and think in the way Sakura or Sasuke did, Itachi did something that he should have done immediately: used the bond.

Through the bond, he'd been able to feel everything Sakura was feeling. He could feel her panic, her fear, her sadness and her disbelief. As usual, her emotions were all over the place and she was unable to hold them back, but that was a good thing, in his eyes. That meant she couldn't hold them back and Itachi got them full force. She could not control her emotions, meaning she could not keep them from drifting to him via the bond!

After figuring that out and after taking a look at her emotions, Itachi had left their bedroom and gone straight to Sasuke and Naruto's, going through the drawers when he entered the room. Empty. All of Sasuke's weapons, the two travelling cloaks and his katana was gone. And when Itachi made his way downstairs, instead of there being a huge war fan leaning near the front door, the area was vacant.

They were headed out to battle.

But _why_?

Sasuke had never disobeyed Itachi before. _Never_. And while he'd never ordered Sakura around, she had also never disobeyed him. Something serious was going on. Something deadly serious that they felt they couldn't include him on.

That was around the time Naruto had returned from wherever he had been, but instead of returning to spar with Sasuke like he had been planning, Naruto had instead returned to Itachi, who remained statue still in a seat in the living room, glaring out of the window with his sharingan activated. Whenever he attempted to talk, Itachi's expression would shift ever so slightly, forcing him to stay silent. There was no telling what he would do at that moment in time and Naruto would rather continue living.

Hearing two sets of footsteps, Itachi stood from his seat and left the cabin, meeting the two halfway across the clearing. His stride was strong, certain. It demanded their attention and it made them stay silent, for they knew Itachi was in no mood to muck around.

"Sasuke and Sakura are gone."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "W–What?"

Jiraiya seemed just as startled, though was thankful when a head of blond hair left the cabin. Naruto hadn't left with them. "Do you know anything about this, Naruto?"

"Nothing!" he yelled, blue eyes just as wide as Tsunade's as he came to a stop beside Itachi. "They were both here when I left and gone when I came back!"

"Tsunade–sama." Itachi's voice was cold, empty. "Please summon the rest of my clan and inform them of what has happened."

In response, Jiraiya frowned. "You think it's that serious?"

"Think about it." he murmured, eyes narrowing a fraction. "All weapons are gone, including Sakura's Gunbai. Before falling asleep, she was fine and rather happy. However, during her sleep, she grew distressed, though I thought she was merely having a bad dream, a nightmare. What if it wasn't a bad dream? What if somebody had managed to get inside her head? The same someone who managed to get inside of Sasuke's?"

The blonde shook her head, giving Itachi a serious look. "That's quite a stretch, Uchiha. What makes you think it's Orochimaru?"

"Orochimaru?" Naruto demanded, staring at them all with wide eyes. "What–"

"Sasuke has only disobeyed me once before and that was back when Orochimaru first managed to get inside of his head. That was when he was tearing into our entire clan like it was nothing." There was a pause, one where realisation dawned on Tsunade and Jiraiya. "From then on, Sasuke has always obeyed me, even if I haven't given him a direct order. The only times he is difficult is when he's lost inside of that world Orochimaru threw his mind into."

Naruto swallowed hard, glancing around them. "And if Sakura–chan needed help, if Orochimaru got inside her head somehow and she told Sasuke about it, he would be more than willing to help."

"Exactly."

"Except, there's one flaw in your logic, Itachi." Jiraiya stated, folding his arms over his chest. "Sakura has never met Orochimaru, therefore–"

"She has." he sighed, suddenly appearing weary. "We encountered Orochimaru whilst at the hideout. I tried to keep her out of it, to keep her out of his sight, but she must have made eye contact with him."

Biting on her thumb nail for a moment, Tsunade thought through everything. Her own anger deep within herself was demanding that she catch up with the two and help them destroy Orochimaru once and for all. He deserved a slow and torturous death for all the pain he had caused. For Nawaki, for Dan, for Sasuke and his many other victims! They all deserved to be avenged, even if they weren't all dead.

However…

She had to think of this as a leader. As one of the original vampires, it was her duty to keep all the others in line. No killing sprees and absolutely nothing that would attract attention to their kind. This battle with Orochimaru… It would attract the attention of hunters, there wasn't a doubt about it. Whenever she and Jiraiya clashed with the witch, entire landscapes were changed, mountains were reduced to rubble and only destruction would be left in their wake. And that was Tsunade's strength alone!

"Jiraiya, contact Hatake Kakashi and his clan." Tsunade ordered, dropping her hand to her side and shutting her eyes, concentrating hard. "I will contact the rest of the Uchiha clan. Itachi, do you have anything on you that Shisui can connect to?"

"We–"

"Wait!" Naruto silenced them all, warily sniffing the air before narrowing his eyes. "We have company."

And when three others entered the clearing, seeming rather confused by all that they'd heard, the four felt their hopes rising ever so slightly, since they all cared for Sakura and were definitely likely to help out.

"Gaara!" the blond grinned. "It's good to see you guys!"

"We came by to see how Sakura's training was coming along." Temari murmured, teal eyes narrowing dangerously.

It seemed he was not the only one who was possessive of his mate. The thought bothered him, but at the same time, it was understandable. Like Tsunade had stated just the other night: Sakura was like a siren. Her innocence called to people, luring them in. She reached into others' hearts so easily that it was ridiculous. It was almost like Naruto's 'gift', now that he thought about it. While not an actual gift, Naruto also managed to make friends with the most unlikely of people. Just taking a look at Sasuke or Gaara told you that.

Folding his arms over his chest, Gaara stared blankly at them all, refusing to show his anger. "We heard the last of your conversation. My clan will help."

He didn't ask for Temari's and Kankuro's opinions and they didn't give them to him. Instead they all stared the others down, each looking serious and deadly and so very angry that it sent a shiver up Naruto's spine. He could smell Gaara's blood lust, which was the only way he could tell the redhead was angry, and it was strong. Incredibly strong. But of course, that didn't surprise the blond. Whenever Gaara made a friend, whenever he made any sort of relationship, he held that person so very close to himself. They had his protection whether they wanted it or not.

There was no doubt in Naruto's mind that, should they catch up to Sakura and Sasuke and something had happened to Sakura, Gaara would tear the enemy to shreds within the blink of an eye. And that was if Itachi didn't get a hold of them first.

"First things first." Tsunade spoke, opening her eyes and gazing up at Itachi. "Calm yourself. Having that Mangekyō of yours burning holes in my head is off–putting."

Itachi blinked.

"Excuse me?"

Slowly, the Sabaku clan closed the distance between them just as the three surrounding Itachi all glanced up at him, frowning when they all noticed the difference. Naruto had noticed it earlier and had tried bringing up the change to the Uchiha, but he wouldn't have any of it and had frightened Naruto so badly it put him off talking altogether (which was rare to happen).

"You really are connected to her." the blonde said quietly, her amber eyes fixated on Itachi's new sharingan design. "Just the thought of her leaving you has awakened the Mangekyō. That's–"

"Impossible." Itachi cut her off with a firm shake of his head. "Sakura has not died."

"But she left you, and it caused you great pain." Jiraiya stated, amazed. "That pain manifested your eyes, much like the pain Shisui has previously experienced manifested his."

That was… unbelievable.

Once more, Sakura had proved to have so much power over Uchiha Itachi, yet she had absolutely no idea just how much.

* * *

"You don't look that different."

Sai glanced down at her for a second before looking away and staring ahead of them, putting more thought than necessary into the movement of hopping from branch to branch. "You do."

Her mouth opened to say something, to make a retort of some kind, but she soon shut it again and nodded, looking away from him. "I guess you're right."

There was no guessing, really, Sakura supposed. She'd hardly been anything special back in high school and more often than not, guys didn't even spare her a second glance. Occasionally, there would be a guy who attempted to get into her pants, though that was only because they thought of her as an easy target, because they were merely horny and couldn't find anyone better. Now, however, Sakura knew she was beautiful. It was the final stage of the transformation, after all. 'Perfection'. It was to lure in their prey more than anything, because who couldn't resist such beauty when it was offered to them?

Had she met Itachi in a different scenario, where she was nothing but his prey, perhaps she would have been unable to resist his charm? There was no denying he was beautiful and as a human, Sakura had always been a hopeless romantic. Dying in the arms of such beauty… It would have been a nice way to go, she supposed.

Taking a bigger leap, Sakura landed beside Sasuke, frowning up at him. "How much longer?"

His sharingan was still activated because even though they'd made a truce, Sasuke did not trust the hunters in the least. And if anything happened to Sakura on his watch, he knew he'd never be able to face Itachi again. "We should be there in an hour, maybe less."

She nodded once, swallowing ever so slightly.

"Stay up front with me." he told her without looking at her. "The smell isn't as strong since the wind is blowing towards us."

Again, Sakura nodded.

"What's the plan?" Sai asked from behind them, inwardly frowning since he heard their small conversation. "Or do you not have one?"

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "I thought you have all heard of Orochimaru?" At their silence, he smirked and faced forward once more. "When facing Orochimaru, you can't plan ahead, because he already knows. That's the problem with going up against a witch like him. He knows everything you're thinking and can get inside your head just by looking you in the eye. You have to make last second decisions and like with my clan, you can't look him in the eye."

Sakura couldn't help but frown up at him. "Because of your sharingan, right? That's why it's best for your enemies not to look you in the eye."

"Especially when you're facing Shisui or Itachi. It's said that they're the strongest of our clan since Uchiha Madara."

There were gasps behind them, but Sakura kept her eyes on Sasuke's features, reaching behind herself and tapping her Gunbai. "The guy who owned this before me, right?" Sasuke nodded. "Then why didn't he pass this onto another member of your clan?"

"Madara died before we even existed." he told her plainly, simply. "We're going back millennia, Sakura. Back to before Tsunade was even born."

"And it's still intact?" She gasped, grasping a tighter hold of her war fan. "How is that even possible?"

"Madara managed to survive centuries, though we have no idea how." Sasuke stated, his scowl so very obvious in his voice. "Nobody knew of his survival and we all presumed he died in a battle against Senju Hashirama – Tsunade's grandfather. He must have found some way of prolonging his life, but according to Obito, Madara continued to age and could barely move around without support of some kind. He probably preserved the weapon, since it was one of his favourites."

Leaping a little closer, Sai frowned. "But Uchiha Madara is dead now, isn't he?"

Again, Sasuke nodded. "Another of our kind watched him die."

"That's what I still don't get." Sakura grumbled, staring ahead of them as she dropped down a branch and hopped back up. "How could Madara change Obito when he himself wasn't a vampire?"

The Uchiha gazed down at her, frowning. "Aren't you listening? I said before that Madara was stronger than Shisui and Itachi, though there's no true way of knowing just how much stronger he was. He was just a human, Sakura. Back then, humans were just as powerful as we are but over time, they forgot how to summon their chakra and those that can, aren't nearly as powerful as they would have been a millennia ago." Shrugging, he faced forward once more, narrowing his eyes. "He probably defeated a vampire and with that defeat, acquired the vampire's venom. That's all you need to make the change. Just our venom. Once it's in the bloodstream, it's over."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense, I guess. With our bite, when we're feeding, it paralyses our prey, right?"

He shook his head. "No, our venom paralyses our prey. It stops them from getting away."

Sometimes it still astounded her that Sasuke was older than her, mainly because of his appearance. He looked like he was just barely sixteen years old, but really, he had been around for centuries (though she still didn't know how long exactly, because Itachi still refused to tell her). Sakura looked older than him by a couple of years, so it often threw her off just how old Sasuke really was, therefore he always surprised her by how mature he was, and how much he knew. Like Itachi, he could be incredibly wise at times, though he lacked the look in his dark eyes that made him appear like one of the veterans she had examined back when she was still human. Also, unlike Itachi, Sasuke lacked self–control most of the time.

All of a sudden, Sakura frowned softly, glancing behind herself and coming to an abrupt stop, hand dropping onto the branch to steady herself. Around her, the others also stopped.

"Something… isn't right."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke questioned, staying by her side as he glared around them. "I can't sense anything."

"Exactly." she murmured and stood up straight. "Other than ourselves, I can't see any other spirits. Not even animals."

"You're predators." Tenzo commented. "Animals can sense it."

Sakura shook her head. "Animals don't run from us. At least, not from me or Itachi."

"Yes, but we're hardly being quiet or discreet." Sai drawled.

"You–"

Sakura's eyes widened as a colour suddenly burst in front of her. "Get down!"

She lunged forward, straight over Sai's crouched form and knocked the attacker to the ground, growling viciously as she did so. She didn't feel the impact of the ground, but it was clear the person beneath her did, for her eyes widened and the breath was knocked out of her. There was a sickening crunching sound that echoed in the forest.

"You." Sakura growled. "I remember you."

The sensory type who had been by Orochimaru's side. It was no wonder she'd been able to mask her chakra as well as her spirit from Sakura right until the last moment.

Dropping to the ground around them, Sasuke held his hand out to the hunters who attempted to stop Sakura. "She's a witch. One of Orochimaru's lackeys."

"Trap." the redhead croaked, still trying to get her breath back. She clutched onto Sakura's arms weakly though was unable to break the grip she had on her. "Trap for…"

"Me?" Sakura demanded, eyes wide.

The redhead shook her head, her red eyes going up to the Uchiha. "S–Sasuke. Trap for… Sasuke."

Her breathing stopped as Sakura's head snapped up to look at Sasuke, her eyes wider than ever. All of it… It had been a trap for Sasuke. Getting inside of Sakura's head, capturing her parents and torturing them in that dream he'd trapped her in, demanding that she come alone, though only mentioning Itachi's name… Orochimaru had planned it all. He knew she would say something to Sasuke, who would be more than willing to take on Orochimaru without a second thought.

It had all been a trap.

"You're lying." Sakura whispered to the redhead, turning back to facing her. "You have to be lying!"

Again, she shook her head. "What reason… do I have for lying? Orochimaru–sama… He knows of your attachment to Uchiha Itachi. That means he knows… He knows you're under Uchiha Sasuke's protection. He would do… He would do anything to protect… His older brother…"

And Orochimaru was taking advantage of that.

It was all a trap.

"Sasuke, we should–"

"He still has your parents." Sasuke muttered, looking in the direction they had been travelling in. "If we turn back now, Orochimaru will kill your parents along with anyone else you hold bonds with." At his words, the three in Sai's team all looked to Sai. "This day… It was always coming, Sakura. You haven't been with us long, but you know it just as much as the rest of my clan do."

It was the truth, but still, it was terrifying.

When the redhead beneath her coughed, blood splattering on the sides of her face, Sakura quickly made several seals, hands glowing green.

"Sakura–"

"She's protecting us." she snapped at Sasuke as she lifted herself ever so slightly, hands going to the redhead's chest. "For some reason, she's attached to you and is willing to risk her life to protect you."

The woman shook her head again, catching Sakura's wrists. "Kill me."

Her hands froze, shaking. "W–What?"

"He… _He_ knows!" she stated harshly, upper lip curling. "If I survive now… He'll only kill me later." Her red eyes met Sakura's, hardening as they did so. "I betrayed him. Orochimaru–sama… He doesn't take lightly to traitors. _Kill me!_"

It felt like the whole world was watching her as Sakura merely stared down at the woman with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open in a look of pure horror. How could she ask this of her? How could she demand to be killed? Life was… It wasn't something to throw away like that! It wasn't meaningless! It was sacred. They–

"Get up, Sakura."

"No!" she yelled at Sasuke, staying on top of the redhead and shielding her. "I don't…" Tears filled her eyes. "I don't even know your name… How can you ask me to kill you?"

The redhead chuckled wryly. "A compassionate vampire. That's… a first." At the sight of Sakura's tears, however, something cracked in the woman and she gave a small smile that lasted only a few seconds. "My name's… Karin. I… I knew when I first met you… There was something different about you. Your… Your chakra… It's so light and warm. It's so different from those I've been surrounded by…" Taking a deep breath, Karin gave Sakura a serious look. "Orochimaru–sama… He has your parents. From what I know… They haven't been harmed so far. They've been locked away… away from others. But… Kabuto… You need to hurry. He… He has a tendency to… _experiment._"

Her last word was hissed hatefully, like she took his hobbies personally but her eyes were incredibly guarded, silently screaming that she would not be going into details about her life.

"Karin… We're going to defeat him. You don't… You don't have to die!"

"Stop crying." Karin demanded, trying so very hard to stop the trembling of her bottom lip. "You're… You're my enemy so stop crying in front of me."

She couldn't. She couldn't stop the tears.

Eventually, somebody grabbed hold of Sakura, lifting her from the broken body of Karin. Sai tried to ignore how human Sakura looked, how human she felt, but it was impossible. If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend that they were in high school, still. And that nothing had changed and nobody had died and–

Sakura sobbed in his arms, trying weakly to get to Karin when Sasuke stepped towards her.

"She should already be dead, Sakura. It's her magic that is keeping her alive." Sai told her quietly, pulling her away from the two. "The fall has broken her neck as well as punctured her lung."

It was true. The punctured lung had been what Sakura attempted to heal, but the broken neck had been… It had been the next on her list!

"Sasuke, please!" Sakura begged desperately. "I can bring–"

"No." he cut her off, pinning her with a serious look. There was a reason as to why Itachi hadn't wanted to speak of Sakura's 'gift' and to bring it up in front of hunters was simply asking for trouble. "Orochimaru won't stop until she's dead. If we leave her alive and fail in defeating him, then he would eventually track Karin down and kill her in the worst way possible. This is giving her a way out. It's the kindest thing to do."

It sounded like he was about to put an injured animal to sleep.

Her stomach churned viciously and Sakura turned, burying her face into Sai's shoulder, unable to watch the sight.

But she could still hear.

She could still hear the sound of thousands of birds all screaming at once. She could still hear Karin's piercing scream.

She could still sense her spirit drifting away.

* * *

**A/N - I forgot to put a message at the end of my other two chapters, so I'll put it here and on my profile. If I suddenly stop updating for a while, it's because my laptop has broken. I'm not really sure what's happened but I know it's something to do with the battery. I'll try and get it fixed as soon as possible, but you'll all have to be patient. It's on charge now, but the battery isn't charging and is actually going down. It won't switch on if it's not plugged in, either. **


	18. You Don't Know The Meaning Of Torture

**Chapter 17 – You Don't Know The Meaning Of Torture**

"Itachi. Explain what has happened."

But he could not focus on their words.

He was staring at his clan, looking his father dead in the eye, but his mind was elsewhere. The bond was calling to him, _screaming at him_, because of Sakura's pain. She was crying. And it was like Itachi could see into her mind as she had finally let down her guards, her pain so great that it let him in and–

The sight was horrific.

She was leaning over one of Orochimaru's lackeys, begging the woman not to make her kill her. Her tears were splatting onto Karin's face – as he soon discovered her name – and her nails were digging harshly into her palms, though the skin remained unbroken. And it only got worse from there as somebody lifted Sakura away from Karin, the sight of Sasuke approaching her immediately causing Itachi to growl, the sound coming from deep within his chest.

If Sasuke was not the one holding Sakura, then who was?

His eyes narrowed dangerously, back straightening as the sound of a thousand screaming birds boomed inside of his head and had he been a weaker man, had he not been who he was, Itachi would have crumbled in on himself, clutching desperately at his head at the pain the sound created. Instead, he grew angrier, especially as Karin screamed when Sasuke's hand ripped through her chest.

But Sakura was no longer watching, she was burying her face into somebody's shoulder, crying against them.

And all it took was a single glance at the man's face to know what he was.

He was wearing a uniform, was wearing a forehead protector that signified him as…

"Hunters."

Shisui narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to Itachi, though wisely did not reach out to touch him. It would be foolish to do so when the bond was calling to him so strongly. "What is happening, Itachi?"

His sightless eyes moved this way and that as Itachi rummaged through Sakura's thoughts, grabbing whatever information he could. It was like a race against time and if he took too long, there was no doubt in his mind that he would be shut out the second Sakura realised what was happening. Right now, however, she was in too much emotional pain.

"They have formed an alliance with hunters." Itachi informed them, earning shocked gasps and angered growls. "They were previously going to attack, to try and defeat Sasuke and Sakura, but…" His eyes narrowed a fraction. "One of them knew Sakura whilst she was still human. Sai. The former lover of Sakura's best friend, Ino. It is Ino – or her memory – that stopped Sai from attacking, that stopped him from allowing his team to attack her."

"Why the hell have they formed an alliance with hunters?" Tsunade snarled, fists clenching tightly.

Silence for a few moments as Itachi dug deeper.

"Orochimaru."

The name had them all freezing.

"Orochimaru has Sakura's parents."

Mikoto was on her feet in an instant, eyes narrowing dangerously and her sharingan activating. "Where are they, Itachi?"

"Oto. Orochimaru told Sakura that they were in Oto, though the pair of them have been tracking her parents by their scent. Sasuke knew it would be useless to track Orochimaru, so instead locked onto her parents' scents." Itachi took a deep breath, attempting to remain calm so that Sakura would not sense him. "It's all a trap."

Fugaku dropped his arms from their folded position over his chest. "Explain."

"It is all a trap to get a hold of Sasuke. He–"

When Itachi winced and clutched the side of his head, Tsunade quickly summoned her chakra and made her way over to him, only to have him hold out his other hand to stop her.

"Sakura has shut me out."

"What are we waiting for?" Naruto demanded, eyes wide with horror but his expression determined. "We need to catch up to them and help them!"

Jiraiya nodded once and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, telling him without words to calm down. "I agree with Naruto. Sasuke and Sakura have no idea what they're getting themselves into by facing Orochimaru like this. They're fighting on _his_ ground and he'll be familiar with the territory. That's not even–"

He was cut off when Itachi shook his head and straightened once more, hand dropping to his side when the pain eased somewhat. To be forcibly removed like that, to have what felt like an impenetrable, metal gate between himself and Sakura, was agonising. It had felt like his mind was on fire and if Itachi merely approached the gate, the pain would return. "Sasuke is keeping his mind emptied. He knows how to take on a witch such as Orochimaru, but you're right, Jiraiya–sama. They do not know what they're getting themselves into. Sasuke is not ready to battle Orochimaru."

And Sakura…

Hidden by the sleeves of his plain burgundy cloak, Itachi's fists clenched tightly.

She did not stand a chance.

The Sabaku clan exchanged glances, as did Obito's clan. All of them knew what this battle against Orochimaru and his lackeys would mean. For some of them, it could possibly mean death and there was no coming back from that, from a vampire's death.

Both Gaara and Obito stepped forward at the same time, features serious and deadly.

"My clan will fight alongside you."

Obito nodded once. "As will mine. We're tired of hiding away."

The Uchiha clan all looked to their leader because, despite their feelings, it all went down to Fugaku in the end. However, they all knew that Itachi would not pay attention to his father should he be told to let things run their course. Not only him, but also Mikoto. They would disobey him, meaning Fugaku didn't really have a choice. Even if they didn't disobey, he would personally go after Sasuke. He was his son.

"How far are we?"

Itachi went through what he'd gathered of Sakura's thoughts. "We will have to push ourselves."

Tapping her finger against her bicep, Tsunade scowled, trying to ignore the pleading look that was coming from Naruto. After all, he was a member of _her_ clan. Well, technically, it was Jiraiya's clan, but that was neither here nor there. They all knew who really wore the pants in their strange relationship and it certainly was not him.

"Shisui." she murmured, brows furrowing. "How far are you able to transport?"

"A couple hundred miles at most, as we have proved today. However, I can only take a certain amount of people with me at a time. It depletes my chakra by too much."

Her eyes narrowed a fraction. If they were going up against Orochimaru, they would need Shisui at his best, for he was one of their strongest fighters. He was unbelievably fast and his eyes were on such a level that it made power hungry fools such as Orochimaru salivate at just the thought of them. Lifting one of her hands, Tsunade chewed on her thumb nail, appearing to be deep in thought.

Itachi glanced at his cousin, emotions being guarded once more. "How many can you transport at once?"

"Including myself," Shisui didn't need to think about it long, "five."

So the size of their clan before Sakura had joined them. It made sense that that was the number Shisui could only go up to. Why? Because that was the only amount of people he'd had practice with. Since Sakura joined them, he hadn't held any need to transport them all, neither had there been a chance to practice. To do so now would be incredibly risky and not only that, it could be dangerous for Shisui. If his concentration slipped for just a moment while transporting so many people, going such a great distance, they could end up anywhere and possibly not all in one piece.

Obito stepped forward. "I can also use transportation and my chakra reserves are full." When the others silently demanded answers, he shrugged and his single eye's sharingan morphed into a new design. "This was activated when I saw Rin almost die. Along with this eye, Kakashi's also transformed. Alone, I can transport a few people at once and it takes a few moments. Together, we can take as many as we want and will be much faster."

Tsunade dropped her hand to her side and narrowed her eyes. "How many have you carried so far? And how does your transportation work?"

"It will be easier to show you." Kakashi informed them.

And a second later, it was like Obito was vanishing into a hole, the hole being his eye until there was nothing left.

They all turned quickly when they sensed him reappearing outside, waving once to them.

"As for how many we can take at once," the silver–grey haired man sighed, "it's unclear. Neither Obito nor I have ever had any need to transport so many people. Don't forget: Rin and Obito have remained in hiding up until a few months ago."

Glancing up at her husband as Obito returned to the cabin, Mikoto frowned softly. There had to be something they could do. Not only was their eldest son's mate out there, but also their youngest son. Their Sasuke. It was safe to say that Mikoto had always babied him, had always held him so very close to her. For a while (of their human life) she'd even tried to hide Itachi's illness from him, knowing how badly it would hurt Sasuke, but it was like he sensed something was wrong. Just one look at Itachi when they returned from the hospital and Sasuke knew that his older brother was dying. Oh he had been inconsolable for _months_.

"We need to try." Mikoto quietly begged her mate, her hand on his arm. "Please, Fugaku. Sasuke… Sasuke is our son."

"I have already agreed that we are going, Mikoto." he told her patiently.

"I mean…" she sighed and shut her eyes. "Obito–san's and Kakashi–san's transportation. Allow _them_ to try."

His dark eyes drifted from his mate's still activated sharingan once they opened again and up to Obito and Kakashi's, narrowing fractionally as they did so. There was so much risk going up against Orochimaru in the states that they were in. Some of them only had half of their chakra while others were slowly going back to full strength. However, it would be so much more risky for his son and for Sakura.

"They are Uchiha."

The others all looked to Fugaku when his sharingan activated, when he gently pulled away from Mikoto.

"We do not leave any Uchiha clansmen to fight alone."

Itachi nodded his thanks once, whereas Naruto yelled out gratefully and punched the air.

"Shisui, you will take our clan as close as you possibly can. Obito, you take everyone else. However, before we attack, we must hunt. I will not have any of you dying." Tsunade opened her mouth to argue, about to ask Fugaku who the hell he thought he was to order _her_ around, but he swiftly cut her off. "Tsunade–sama, you must be at full strength if you are to fight alongside Sasuke. He will need both yours and Jiraiya–sama's help in this battle."

Damned Uchiha, Tsunade growled, though nodded once. "Everyone, gather whatever weapons are in this cabin. If you have your own, then great. That brat of yours is like a hoarder, Fugaku. He kept bringing more and more weapons to the cabin, stashing them away in certain parts. Naruto! You know where they will be. Find them and bring all of Sasuke's weapons to me."

In a second, the Uzumaki was gone. Itachi sighed. He'd known all about his brother's 'hoarding', as Tsunade had called it. Though, in his eyes, Sasuke was not hoarding weapons. He was being prepared, making sure he was ready for an attack at any moment. And not just him, either. He didn't want any of them to be unarmed if they somehow couldn't wield their chakra and use their jutsu.

And now those weapons would be coming in handy.

"I don't know about you, Jiraiya, but I plan to make this my last battle against Orochimaru." Tsunade muttered as she folded her arms over her ample chest, narrowing her eyes up at the man. "What he has done is unforgivable and he needs to pay for it."

Jiraiya nodded once.

"Itachi." He glanced down at Tsunade. "Pass me your hand. Since you're going to be leaving with your clan, Obito will need to know everything. I can try and pick up Sakura's parents' scents while I'm at it."

It took a lot to remain blank, to not allow his frown to show. "Is that a wise choice, Tsunade–sama? I can assure you now that their scents are powerful. When I visited Sakura's former home, even though her mother was not present, her scent was still powerful." His eyes skimmed along the gathered vampires. "Sakura will never forgive us if anything happens to them."

"Which is why only I will be tracking them." Tsunade murmured, also knowing the risks. "I promise you, Itachi, I will not allow any harm to come to Sakura's parents. She is my student, therefore, they are under my protection."

If the others were surprised about Tsunade's feelings towards Sakura, and her wish to never see the younger woman hurting, they said nothing.

"Very well."

Itachi refrained from sighing and held out his hand to Tsunade, simply wishing that she would only take what she needed and not have to go through all his memories with Sakura. To give her credit, it was obvious that, when she took his hand and closed her eyes, Tsunade concentrated hard on leaving his private moments with Sakura alone, instead mainly focusing on their conversations. There was only one slight slip up and she surprisingly apologised to him about it. It had been the memory of him and Sakura at the lake only a few miles from the cabin and she had thought they would be saying something important, only to see Sakura undressing in front of Itachi. It was obvious what had been about to happen due to Itachi's thoughts, due to his body's reaction as well as the look in Sakura's eyes.

The memory was shut away instantly, along with the apology being said. It took a few moments to go all the way back to the first week of Sakura's new life but once she saw the memories, Tsunade was quietly muttering "damn it" to herself.

"Sakura is trying to shut me out of your memories."

The girl should have know by now that it was impossible. Tsunade was a hell of a lot more powerful than her and her abilities with the bond were definitely a lot more refined, although there was no denying that she put up one hell of a fight. Not only was Tsunade more powerful, however, but these were also Itachi's memories. He easily opened them up for Tsunade to see.

During the process, Naruto returned, his arms full with a pile of weapons that went right over his head. And when he dumped them all onto the dining table, most of the weapons dropping to the ground with a clash, he smiled sheepishly at Mikoto and Jiraiya, who both noticed that some of the weapons had damaged the flooring. It was with a sigh that the two older vampires got to picking them all up again and sorting them into orderly piles. There were thirteen piles in total, meaning one pile for each vampire.

The Sabaku clan tried to refuse, telling them that they had their own weapons, but Mikoto quietly asked them to cooperate, as it was just a precaution. After all, what if Gaara's sand was countered? What if somebody completely soaked it with water, therefore making it heavy and more or less useless? Or what if Temari's fan was damaged? Or Kankuro's puppets were destroyed?

Rin smiled politely and accepted the pouch handed to her, pausing for a moment to admire the Uchiha emblem on the side of it, before glancing up at Obito, offering him a small smile as she handed him a pouch, too. There was a great worry in his eyes as he watched his mate, not liking the thought of her going into battle in the slightest. His mate was not a warrior. She was a medic. Yes, she could wield a kunai and could throw shuriken, but she wasn't incredibly skilled at it. Fighting just never came naturally to her and at best, she was adequate.

Then again…

His eyes narrowed as he picked up a storage scroll.

"It's water." Shisui informed him, stepping closer and gesturing to his own scroll. "Whilst training, Sasuke often has the tendency to go a little overboard and push his jutsu to their limits, leading to many fires in the past. If one of us are not there to counter the fire, Sasuke uses these scrolls, as he is still practising with his water element."

He nodded once and handed his water summoning scroll to Rin and a moment later, Kakashi was doing the same. They both had many jutsu up their sleeves, having been copying them with their sharingan and a good portion of them were water jutsu. Rin's element was earth and already knowing what was going through their minds, and knowing there was no use in arguing, she accepted both scrolls with a grateful smile.

"We fight in our clans." Jiraiya decided once everybody except for Tsunade and Itachi had picked up their pouches and sorted through their weapons. "Naruto, Tsunade and I will go straight to Orochimaru and Sasuke."

Naruto punched his fist into the palm of his hand, nodding once. "All right!"

Temari frowned, hand resting on the top of her fan as she leaned against it. Usually she would keep it on her back but she had been examining it, making sure that there would be no mishaps or problems. "You're taking Naruto straight to Orochimaru? Is that a good idea?"

Just as Naruto yelled out loud with anger, just as Jiraiya sighed and opened his mouth, Gaara cut them both off, his eyes seeming bored. "Naruto is more powerful than he appears, Temari. Do not underestimate him. Many in the past have, including myself, and he defeated me." Meeting Naruto's eyes, Gaara raised a brow. "And though he only barely made it out alive, most likely, Naruto has been training since our battle over fifty years ago. No doubt he is much stronger than he was back then."

Said blond grinned wickedly and nodded once. "No doubt you are, too! Oi, Gaara! As soon as we deal with these bastards, we're going to spar again!"

Spar, Gaara inwardly snorted. Their previous battle had been to the death (even though neither of them had died). How Naruto could call it a spar was beyond him, though Gaara knew it would do no good to try and get inside of that head of his. It gave him a headache simply trying to think like Naruto.

It was Kankuro who spoke next, slipping his puppet scrolls onto his back. "I've been wanting to try out my puppets since I added new parts to them."

Naruto's grin widened. "Since Sakura–chan destroyed them so easily, right?"

"Easily!" he scoffed in return and shook his head. "That girl has monstrous strength–"

"What was that?"

He closed his dark eyes, willing to ignore his gut instinct to duck behind Temari or Gaara. "Nothing, Tsunade–sama."

When the hell had she stopped reading the Uchiha's mind?

"I have a lock on her parents." she murmured, dismissing Kankuro's comment about monstrous strength as she accepted a pouch from Jiraiya, placing it over her hip. It didn't even occur to her how she didn't check the pouch, because Tsunade knew she could trust Jiraiya with her life. "If we transport to the border of Oto, I should be able to track them from there. Will you be able to do that, Obito?"

Turning away from his mate, he nodded once.

"Good." Glancing around the room, she then ordered, "Jiraiya, myself and Naruto will go straight to Sasuke and assist him in his battle against Orochimaru. Sabaku clan and Uchiha – no, _Obito's_ clan, you will take care of his lackeys. Uchiha clan, you will assist Sakura in finding her parents. Itachi, your bond with Sakura will be useful here. She may be shutting you out, but you are still connected. Follow your bond and it will lead you straight to her. I will be doing the same for Sasuke. One last thing!" Tsunade muttered, honey brown eyes narrowing dangerously. "Don't any of you dare die out there! Hunt before going into battle or, if you're not particularly fussed, hunt while there. I don't care. _Just don't any of you die_!"

It was with those words that they set out.

* * *

She kept her eyes forward, refusing to look at any of them.

No, Sakura didn't blame them for what had happened, for the loss of Karin. Considering who they were going up against, it would be better if she was dead. Orochimaru had kept Karin close to him when she and Itachi crossed paths with him and later, it had been explained to her that Karin was a sensory type, one of the best at it. It left Orochimaru at a slight disadvantage now that she was gone, though they weren't counting on that fact. They didn't allow the hope to swell within them because, as Sasuke had stated, the witch was very powerful and most likely had many tricks up his sleeve.

However… Looking at this _not_ in a battle–type mind, Sakura couldn't help but feel like she'd gone against her beliefs. Karin had been a living person. Yes, she had gotten involved with dark magic, but who knows? It may not have been voluntarily! Orochimaru could have forced her into it! He could have kidnapped her when he heard about her abilities, just like he was trying to take over Sasuke's body.

Thankfully, one of the hunters was a water element and had aided Sasuke in washing the blood from his hand and arm. It had been a sickening sight but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the smell of it, the fact that Karin had been laying there, bleeding out, and all Sakura could think about was drinking every last drop of her blood. In the end, Sasuke had ordered Sai and Tenzo to take Sakura away, to do whatever they had to – except for killing her – to keep her from drinking Karin's blood.

Ten minutes later and Sasuke as well as the other two hunters approached them, telling them it was time to set off again.

Had they just left her laying there? Had they buried Karin? Cremated her?

Sadly, none of those were what had happened.

Instead Karin had been stored away in a scroll, one that was handed to Sai since he was the captain of the team. Right at that moment in time the scroll was tucked away in his backpack, waiting for him to return to wherever the hunter's headquarters were, so that Karin could be handed over. What would happen from there? It was highly probable that she would be dissected and examined, so that hunters could find more ways to disable a witch without killing it.

It wasn't fair. At the end of the day, Karin was human. Yes, she was a witch, but Itachi had explained to her that witches were still human. They were mortal. Well, except for Orochimaru who had apparently made himself immortal, but what Itachi had also told her was that there was always a flaw. Everything had a flaw. For example, the sharingan. While it could predict his opponent's movements, if Itachi or any other Uchiha (or Kakashi) were not fast enough, they would not be able to counter, block or dodge. Another example would be hers and Tsunade's monstrous strength. It was devastating and terrifying, yes, but it was hardly discreet.

Something else that had been bothering her…

"Itachi has told Tsunade–sama what we're doing."

Sasuke's eyes immediately snapped to hers, widening a fraction. "You let him in?"

"My guards were down for a second–"

"That's all the time he needs!" the Uchiha snapped at her, coming to an abrupt stop and forcing Sakura to stop mere inches from him, her eyes widening as she did so. If she leaned back just an inch, she would fall off the branch and to the ground. "Do you have any idea what's going to happen now?"

The hunters stopped on the branch behind theirs, though Sai leapt onto the branch they were standing on and moved to stand beside Sakura, narrowing his eyes on Sasuke. "She was upset. Unlike yourself, Sakura experiences human emotions. Seeing you dispose of Karin like that will obviously get to her. She's only–"

When he cut himself off, Sakura bit the inside of her cheek, lowering her eyes a fraction before looking Sasuke in the eye once more. _She's only human_, was what Sai was going to say. And even though Sasuke was still so very angry at her slip up, he sighed and gave her a more understanding look, despite still seeming cold.

"Sai–taichou," the hunter with purple hair called, "this must be difficult for you, but you must remember that she is no longer human and after this battle, Haruno Sakura will once more be your enemy."

Enemies.

Why…

Why couldn't she have both lives? Both her human and her vampire life?

"Don't start questioning yourself." Sasuke muttered to her warningly, though beneath, there seemed to be a tone of pleading. "Itachi will never forgive himself if you change your mind."

"I won't." she shook her head, unable to believe how Sasuke could think such a thing. "Itachi… I've told you all so many times now what he means to me, Sasuke. Nothing could ever change that."

He nodded once, secretly thankful for the knowledge. It wasn't blatantly obvious, but Sasuke had been able to pick up on Itachi's torn emotions very briefly during the first couple of months of Sakura's change. He wanted her. Oh, his brother had definitely wanted Sakura to be by his side for the rest of eternity as his mate, however, he couldn't decide on whether or not he was just being a selfish man. And whilst Itachi had been watching Sakura, Sasuke had been watching Itachi. He watched as his brother grew more entranced by her, watched the subtle yet somewhat obvious shift in their relationship, watched as it grew more intimate. He watched as they went from close friends to lovers.

They were mates.

Itachi could no longer feel any guilt, but Sasuke knew it would be lingering in the back of his mind, waiting for just a slight change in Sakura's emotions, her wants.

"What do you think Uchiha Itachi will do?" Tenzo questioned.

Both Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a smirk, the former murmuring, "Itachi is too unpredictable to try and predict his movements." Glancing to the side, glancing at the other hunters, Sakura continued. "It would be best if we start moving now. Even though it's impossible to try and predict what he'll do, Itachi has one ultimate goal."

The hunters exchanged wary, suspicious looks before Sai asked, "And that is?"

Sasuke's smirk widened. "To protect those he cares for."

If they were in danger, he would tear apart whoever was blocking his path to protect them. He would push himself impossibly hard to be there for them, to fight for them. It was downright insanity to underestimate Uchiha Itachi and his emotions. He may seem emotionless, may seem empty and cold and so very unapproachable, but the truth was, was that he was the exact opposite. All Itachi did was keep those emotions hidden, so that nobody could take advantage of them. The truth was, was that he would do absolutely anything to keep the peace, to protect his most precious people.

"How is your chakra?" Sasuke asked her, assessing her features.

She swallowed. "We're close, aren't we?"

"Minutes away. Their scent is… incredibly strong now."

"I'll be fine." Sakura assured him, confident in her strength yet so very scared of being in the presence of Orochimaru once more. She could still remember how scared she had been the first time and that was _with_ Itachi standing in front of her, protecting her. There was no telling how scared she would be when facing him with Sasuke. "Yours?"

He nodded once.

Sakura turned her back on him once he had, watching the hunters before her eyes went straight to Sai's. "And what about you and your team? Do you have enough chakra?"

Sai's eyes met every set in his team and nodded once when his dark eyes clashed with Sakura's once more. "It is surreal that this is actually happening. That we, who are supposed to be enemies, are going to be fighting on the same side."

She offered him a small, shaky smile, her nerves once again clawing at her insides. "If only Ino could see us now, right?"

Instead of snapping at her not to use Ino's name like he had previously, Sai returned her smile with his own, though it looked more like a smirk. "Ino would be standing in front of us with the fire of hell in her eyes."

That was so true. No matter how strong Orochimaru was, Ino would have torn him to shreds for merely thinking about harming Sakura or her parents. "It's going to be one hell of a story to tell her one day."

He didn't comment on the fact Sakura was supposedly immortal, instead nodding.

"Let's go." Sasuke muttered. "We need to end this before it gets dark."

And then they were entering Oto, Sasuke leading the way as he followed her parents' scents. It grew difficult halfway, however, when they found that Oto wasn't just barren wastelands and fields and hideouts. It was an actual village, one that was filled with families and the elderly. There were children running blissfully unaware in the streets, crying out happily and shrieking with laughter as they chased each other. There were young couples arm in arm as they browsed the market stalls. There were the elderly, who were slowly travelling down the streets on a pleasant afternoon walk.

It was not anything like Sakura had been imagining. She'd been picturing Oto to be like a run down, abandoned temple. Or a gigantic hideout, complete with cobwebs and rats and who knows what else. This… This was completely normal. It looked so… _normal!_ How was that possible?

"Don't let your guards down." Sasuke ordered in a quiet mutter, eyes fixed ahead of himself and his hand falling to the hilt of his katana.

She followed Sasuke's orders without question, features set into a determined mask and her fists clenched, her gloves creaking with the movement. And as they continued their walk through Oto, surveying the village as they did so, Sakura noticed how they were moving away from the village, from civilisation – like they'd simply been cutting through Oto's village.

Sakura looked over her shoulder at the village, frowning softly as she did so. She was glad they wouldn't be fighting in such a populated area, around so many children and other innocent civilians. It just wasn't right. It would be–

"Stop."

They immediately stopped in their walk.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his sharingan shifting slightly to the right. "Show yourselves."

And at his command, a group of three appeared before them. They appeared to be human, but the way Sasuke straightened, the way his eyes narrowed even further, told her that they were not mere humans. They were Orochimaru's lackeys, most likely witches. Also, unlike those in the village, these men were not washed or in the slightest bit clean and Sakura's sensitive nose burned as the wind blew their putrid scent right up her nose.

"Orochimaru–sama sent us to welcome you all." the tallest one smirked nastily. "He's very excited to meet you."

"Go ahead." Sai ordered as he and his team moved forward and in front of Sasuke and Sakura. "We will take care of them."

Sakura hesitated when Sasuke nodded and began walking once more, her eyes fixed on Sai's back.

"Go, Sakura." he ordered, not even looking at her. "Save your parents."

Her parents…

It was reluctantly, though not entirely so, that Sakura turned her back on the others and followed Sasuke as he picked up speed, leaping high into the air when he did and attaching herself to what appeared to be a mountain with her chakra. Wait… No, it wasn't a mountain. It was much too small to be one, though it was way too big to be called a mere rock. Whatever it was, it was big enough to hold a cave, which was something Sakura discovered when she and Sasuke climbed inside of it.

There was nobody there. Not that she could see, anyway. Of course, Sakura could sense that there were people not too far from them, but she couldn't actually see anybody. Narrowing her eyes, she took a step forward and demanded herself to focus entirely on the spirits she could sense. Forty in total. Including those outside, there were forty–three of Orochimaru's lackeys.

"How many?"

"Too many." Sensing that Sasuke didn't appreciate her mysteriousness, Sakura sighed. "Forty of them if we're not including the three outside."

"Is that including Orochimaru?"

After a moment, Sakura shook her head. "I know his spirit. When Itachi and I encountered him, it was a horrible, murky gold colour. I can't even see my dad's spirit. What if they've…?"

Narrowing his eyes a fraction, Sasuke made a few seals and when he breathed out, he was breathing out small balls of fire. It surprised Sakura when those balls of fire were immediately drawn to the walls, lighting what appeared to be candles. She frowned. Candles in a cave? Not ordinary candles that were placed on shelves or tables, but the sorts that were attached to walls.

She wished he hadn't lit up the cave because as soon as he did, they were greeted with a horrific sight of bones stacked upon bones. It seemed like something out of an old horror story Sakura read when she was just a child, but this was… So much more terrifying.

And the smell! When she was younger, Sakura could recall a time when she visited her grandfather with her parents. Oh she hated going to his home. Loved him, but hated his home. It always had the smell of damp and like something was rotting away inside the walls. Haruno Kizashi had done so much work on the home, trying to locate and eradicate the smell, but it was no use. It was always there, growing stronger over time until it became too much for her grandfather's deteriorating health to handle. When that happened, her parents had found him a warm, trustworthy and safe care home, where he lived the rest of his days before sadly passing away only a year later.

It was funny how it was her senses that brought back old, forgotten memories.

"I can still pick up on their scents, but the smell of this place is overpowering, like Orochimaru is trying to confuse our sense of smell. I have no doubt he is masking himself from you, too, with his magic."

Thinking about it for a moment, Sakura's eyes widened. "Witches are just humans, aren't they?"

"More or less, yes." Sasuke glanced down at her. "Why?"

"Maybe he's doing this so we don't simply paralyse them with our venom, therefore rendering them useless." Sakura took a few steps forward and sniffed the air again, cringing as she did so. "Those three outside were covered in the same smell. It smells like…"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Rotting flesh and damp."

She nodded quickly.

"It makes sense." the Uchiha told her, walking forward as he did. "The lackeys could be brushed aside easily with just a single bite, though we would have to be certain we killed them." Knowing that Sakura was right behind him, Sasuke shifted in his walk ever so slightly, keeping her body shielded with his own just in case somebody jumped out at them. "Otherwise they'd be troublesome to deal with when the transformation is complete, since they would be vampires with a witch's power."

There was a hole in the ground, they noticed as they reached what appeared to be the back of the cave. Like Sakura had noticed on their way in, it wasn't a mountain due to it being much too small, so it was probably why the cave didn't stretch out for miles, like they usually did in the movies she had once enjoyed watching. Instead it appeared as though somebody had broken their way into the rock, burrowing beneath it.

Sakura frowned, watching as Sasuke knelt down beside it. "Is it a tunnel?"

His hand touched the ground, though Sakura had no idea what he was doing. "No."

Then–

Her eyes went wide as Sasuke stood up and not even a second later, he was dropping down into the hole, seeming to take a few moments until he landed. She could just about see him from her position and when Sasuke didn't look up at her, when he started to walk in a certain direction, Sakura took a deep breath and also hopped down the hole, landing in a low crouch and warily taking in her surroundings.

It was fairly large, she decided and looking back up, she was startled to realise that the drop had been over fifty feet. How far down were they? Were they even in the rock anymore, or underground? It scared her that she didn't know. It scared her that the only source of light in the cave were the same strange candles. It scared her how Sasuke was walking away again.

"Wait!" she hissed, jogging after him and only slowing to a walk when she was directly behind him.

"I can smell them." he muttered, making it obvious with the tone of his voice that she was to keep her voice low.

"Where?"

"Further down here. They–"

Two people suddenly rounded a corner and came to a stop, folding their arms over their chests and effectively blocking their path. She stopped when Sasuke did, gritting her teeth and cursing under her breath.

Surely this corridor (or tunnel – whatever the hell it was) was much too small to fight inside of? What if the whole thing was disturbed and collapsed? Would she and Sasuke survive being crushed by an entire freaking rock? Her parents certainly wouldn't. They were mere humans! Their bodies were weak. These corridors were just about big enough for three of herself to walk through side by side and height–wise, she would say anybody over six feet would have to duck and keep their head lowered.

Just as Sasuke was about to unsheathe his katana, Sakura stopped him by holding onto his arm, shaking her head at him even though her eyes never left the two in front of them. They didn't seem like much but at the same time, they were definitely built for strength. Both were more muscular than Sasuke, much taller than him, though Sakura would say they had nothing on someone like Jiraiya, who was certainly bigger than them.

"We can't fight here, Sasuke." Sakura told him seriously. "Just one misplaced attack and we could bring the whole place down. My parents…"

Sheathing his katana once more, he nodded once before addressing the two in front of them. "Take us to Orochimaru."

The tallest man grinned wolfishly at them, the sight of his grin making Sakura feel sick to her stomach, especially when he dipped his head lower a fraction, the grin widening. "Orochimaru–sama ordered us to only allow one of you to pass."

As soon as the first man finished speaking, the other took half a step back and held out his arm, gesturing to the corridor they just came from. "Follow me, Uchiha Sasuke. Orochimaru–sama has been waiting a long time for you."

Sakura stepped forward when he did, her eyes widening and refusing to let go of him. "Sasuke–"

"I will find your parents, Sakura." he told her quietly, not looking at her as he pulled his arm free from her hold. "Just stay here and try not to cause trouble."

Try not to cause trouble.

_Try not to cause trouble!_

That… That bastard… That witch had her parents, could be doing who knows what to them and Sasuke dared to tell her not to cause trouble? Like hell! She should be grabbing her parents, getting them out of there and to safety, before reducing this entire dump to rubble!

They were gone in mere seconds, leaving her alone with the tallest of the two lackeys and it made her incredibly uncomfortable. The way he was grinning at her, the grin never faltering for a single second and the way his eyes rarely blinked all gave her the creeps. Despite the rags he was dressed in, he was holding himself tall and proudly, his back ramrod straight and his arms were hanging by his sides, yet not uselessly because his fists were clenched, like he was ready to physically stop her should Sakura try anything.

And even though she had mastered Tsunade's monstrous strength, even though she knew she was strong, Sakura would be lying if she said she was not intimidated.

Not including the monsters she had killed not too long ago, the humans who had attacked not only herself, but also Ino, this would be her first battle to the death.

Because she was not just going to stand around and be useless.

She had to save her parents.

Leaning back against the rough and cold stone wall of the cave, Sakura sighed and closed her eyes, though kept an eye on his spirit in her mind. She put on a look of exhaustion, of pain and upset and once she felt the lackey relax, once she was certain he was underestimating her, Sakura's eyes snapped open and within a blink of an eye, she was behind the guy, her hand slamming into the back of his neck.

He was out in a second.

Frowning as she watched him slump to the ground, Sakura tried to remember Sasuke's words. Had he told her they needed to kill all of Orochimaru's lackeys, or did they leave them alone? Karin had… While she was a part of Orochimaru's group, she had not been loyal to him. At least, had been until today. Were there others like her? Was this man like her? Did any of them even have a say in any of this? She knelt down in front of the unconscious man, her frown deepening. Like the others, he reeked of rotting flesh and damp, so much so that it was overpowering and completely covered the smell of his blood. Even if it didn't, Sakura refused to drink his blood, she refused to break her own goal of wanted to be the one of the best medics in the world.

She sighed again and stood back up, looking up and down the corridor. Other than the turn in the corridor, there was nowhere to hide his body, so reluctantly, Sakura dragged him off to the side, leaving him slumped against the wall with his head tilting downwards, ignoring the fact that he was drooling. There was no telling when he would wake from unconsciousness or if he'd even be safe left out in the open like this, completely vulnerable and defenceless, but what was she supposed to do? Her parents… They needed her.

"I'm so sorry." she told him earnestly before taking off in the direction Sasuke had gone, rushing down the corridor in an effort to catch up.

And when Sakura came across a set of opened double doors, she darted straight for them, practically bursting into the room and skidding to a stop in the centre of it.

"Sasuke–"

She cut herself off as she looked around herself, frowning.

She was alone.

Damn it! Why hadn't she just used her senses? Instead of blindly hoping, instead of using her _human_ senses and instincts, she should have been using her vampire senses! Cursing herself, Sakura closed her eyes and focused hard on her surroundings but a second later, her eyes slowly opened.

She had been wrong.

She was not alone.

"I recognise your spirit." Sakura muttered though her voice was loud enough for it to echo around the large area. "Come out."

More candles were suddenly being lit and the difference it made was ridiculous. It had been more or less pitch black in the room, although her human senses had made her aware that she was alone and her eyes had been quickly adjusting, telling her that it was a large room. And it was! This part of the cave was stupidly huge. It was so big that Sakura couldn't believe they were still in the rock. Perhaps her earlier presumptions of them now being underground were right?

A single man stepped forward, his footsteps loud compared to her own. That was because while he was clearly a fighter, he was not a predator like herself. Sakura _had_ to be quiet in order to survive. This man, however, did not.

"Kabuto." she recalled his name, snarling it.

Karin had warned her that he enjoyed experimenting, that she had to hurry before he got a hold of her parents.

"Sakura–chan." he called her name like it was a greeting, like they were old friends.

Refusing to appear as weak, refusing to be intimidated, Sakura stood strong and clenched her fists. In this area, they could fight. It wasn't small like the corridor and they would have plenty of room. All Sakura would have to be careful of was her strength. She couldn't allow it to touch any of the walls, or the floor or ceiling. "Where are my parents?"

He tilted his head to the side, his dark eyes being hidden by the light that reflected off his glasses. "Did you say you recognised my spirit? Do you not mean chakra?"

He was speaking to her like she was a child, like she was an idiot! Sakura gritted her teeth, her clenched fists tightening. "Where are my parents?"

"Your parents…" Kabuto sighed, raising his hands and shrugging. "Orochimaru–sama wouldn't tell me."

She snarled in response. "I find that hard to believe. You're his bitch!" When he laughed loudly, Sakura's eyes narrowed. "I was told that you would experiment–"

"Ah, so you met Karin, then."

"She–"

"Is a traitor. And traitors will be dealt with."

"Karin is dead, Kabuto." Even with his eyes being hidden by his glasses, Sakura could tell they had widened because of the way his eyebrows shot up.

Controlling his emotions, Kabuto smirked. "Well I know you had no part to play in it. It was all Sasuke–kun, right?"

She remained silent.

Glancing around the room out of the corner of her eye, Sakura found that it was nothing special. It merely looked like an empty hall with a few pillars here and there to obviously hold up the ceiling. Other than the pillars, there was nothing. It was all the same bland, stone colour with the candle holders attached to the walls. But… There was a set of doors behind Kabuto as well as the ones she'd just come in from. Unlike those, however, the ones behind him were shut and as Kabuto made his way down the steps to get closer to her, Sakura knew that she would have to defeat him to get to those doors.

But Itachi had told her before, back when they first crossed paths with Orochimaru, Kabuto and Karin, that she would have trouble with Kabuto, mainly because he was a medic and could heal himself, but also because he was Orochimaru's righthand man, his favourite lackey. There was probably so much that Kabuto knew, so much that it made him downright lethal.

Sakura slowly took a half–step back, forcing herself to remain strong as she slipped into the fighting stance Itachi had taught her, refusing to leave any openings that Kabuto could attack.

He stopped in his walk, raising an eyebrow and now that he was out of the direct lighting of the candles, she could see his eyes. "You want to fight with me?"

"I need to save my parents, even if it means killing you."

"Killing me." Kabuto was laughing again. "You haven't killed a single person–"

"You're wrong!" she yelled, voice once more echoing around the empty hall. "Did you hear about the massacre in Konoha not too long ago? Over thirteen men died, I believe, although it's all a little fuzzy."

Kabuto's eyes widened.

She smirked, leaning forward ever so slightly and whispering for dramatic effect, "That was me."

And suddenly, Kabuto was clapping, knocking the smirk right off her face.

"You managed to kill a few weak humans." His clapping slowly came to a stop and he gave her his own smirk. "Congratulations."

Okay, so maybe acting tough wasn't for her? Sakura refused to show her fear, her panic, and instead kept the determined expression on her face, she kept her stance strong and her fists clenched. Damn it! He probably wasn't taking her seriously because she was a small, pink haired female. A lot of people had underestimated her because of it.

Dropping his hands to his sides and once more tilting his head ever so slightly, Kabuto regarded her for a few moments, taking in her posture and her expression before he sighed, like it was all such a bother to him. "How about this, Sakura–chan? If you can defeat me, you can go on to look for your parents. However, if I defeat you, you will stay by my side until I am done with you. You will allow me to divulge the secrets hidden in your body and," He gave her a sickening smirk, "you will change me into a vampire."

Sakura couldn't help but take a step back, her determined expression cracking and revealing her shock. "Are you insane?"

"Perhaps. So, what do you say?"

"I am _not_ changing you into a vampire!" she spat, lowering into a crouch. "So it looks like I'm going to have to put you down."

"Ah, you really are Tsunade–sama's student." His smirk widened and Kabuto also lowered into a fighting stance.

She didn't satisfy him with an answer as Sakura instead shot forward, momentarily surprising Kabuto with her speed and during his surprise, she swung for him, hoping to end it with a single blow to the chest, but she should have known better. Kabuto was quick to regain his composure and leaned backwards, watching as her fist went flying over his head. Damn it! Sakura cursed under her breath when she lost her balance, Kabuto immediately taking advantage of it by slapping his hand against her arm.

Leaping away, Sakura put some space between them and frowned. Had he seriously just slapped her? Orochimaru's most trusted, most dangerous lackey and he… He slapped her. It was amusing, really, how Kabuto hit like a girl–

No.

Sakura's eyes widened at the numb feeling that suddenly flooded her right arm, effectively causing it to hang uselessly by her side.

"What–"

"Medical ninjutsu, Sakura–chan." Kabuto informed her with a smile.

Very basic medical ninjutsu, she thought, glancing back down at her arm. He had numbed it completely, like when a doctor would numb the area he was about to perform a minor operation on. It wasn't permanent, but it would be a pain since all Sakura would be able to do, was wait for the effects to wear off. Bastard! It also proved Itachi's statement: Kabuto used his medical jutsu and knowledge, but not for good.

When Kabuto shot towards her, Sakura narrowed her eyes and her left hand grazed the Gunbai resting on her back. Would it be safe to use it in this area? It had caused quite a bit of damage when she used it in training, causing the ground below her to crumble and trees to crack in half when somebody was on the receiving end of it, being blown backwards. Could this area withstand such power?

She couldn't risk it.

Not with her parents being somewhere inside the cave.

She used her training with Tsunade to dodge Kabuto's attacks. Ducking, dodging, countering. That was all Sakura was capable of doing as she tried to pick up on his technique, tried to see if there were any patterns in his attacks. There were none. As soon as she realised that fact, Sakura was on the offensive and defensive at the same time, dodging Kabuto's blows, yet throwing some of her own.

Grabbing the wrist of the hand attempting to numb her left arm, Sakura yanked Kabuto towards her and quickly released him, slamming her fist into his stomach and immediately feeling happy at the cry of pain it caused. The moment she dealt the blow, the force of her punch was throwing him across the hall but before he had the chance to collide with the wall, Sakura was there, kneeing him harshly in the back and watching him drop to the ground.

But only seconds later and Kabuto was shakily pulling himself to his feet, utterly stunning her as he did so. That attack should have knocked him unconscious. Hell, the punch to the stomach _alone_ should have done that! How was it that Kabuto was up? How was it that he was awake?

Healing himself.

Her eyes widened.

Kabuto was healing himself!

And like he could read her mind, he smirked. "I can heal myself before an attack even lands on me, Sakura–chan."

She really hated how her name sounded rolling off his tongue. It sounded sickly sweet.

Also, Sakura could recall reading something about such a jutsu in Tsunade's medical scrolls. If she could remember correctly (and she could!) then the jutsu Kabuto had just used was called _In'yu Shōmetsu_. Basically, it was a medical ninjutsu used in the area the medic anticipates the attack will land, allowing him or her to pre–emptively apply medical chakra to it, therefore being able to reduce all damage to that area and keeping it to a minimum. The medic would concentrate the necessary chakra in that area to begin the cell recreation process, even before that area being targeted, becomes damaged.

It also meant that he was easily reading her facial expressions and movements.

Damn it!

Again, Sakura cursed her right arm. Sending her own chakra to that area to try and counter the numbing technique or speed up the process of regaining feeling wouldn't only be useless, but also a waste of time and chakra.

How could she make herself be more unpredictable?

Biting her lower lip in thought, Sakura watched Kabuto's every move.

From what little she knew of witches, they, like humans, had a limited amount of chakra. Their chakra reserves could be large or they could be small but either way, they were limited unlike her own. What she needed to do was wear Kabuto out, force him to keep using his chakra and when he was weakened, she could land the finishing blow. All the while, she would also have to keep an eye out for any mind tricks and–

Her eyes widened.

That was why he had little trouble reading her movements! Kabuto was clearly no Orochimaru, but he was powerful in his own way and Sakura was guessing he was on a somewhat high level, one that made him a great asset to Orochimaru. Itachi had told her that most witches were able to read your mind without your knowledge.

But that was easily fixed.

After all, Sakura hadn't been a genius in school for nothing.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Sakura slipped into another fighting stance and in her own mind, she began to loudly recite whatever came into her head as she shot forward. She went from old favourite songs to the periodic table to squared numbers and roots, she went from Shakespeare plays to verses from the Bible. She used anything and everything she'd learned back in high school and when Kabuto's eyes widened, when he was put on the defensive, Sakura began yelling them even more loudly in her own mind.

Slamming her hand down against his shoulder, Sakura smirked to herself, watching as he clutched at his now useless left arm. That had been a little bit of payback, she supposed. In return for numbing her arm, she had decided to numb his. Now they were both only able to fight with one arm.

"I will admit," Kabuto panted, narrowing his eyes on her as he pushed his glasses back up his nose, "you are stronger than you look."

Instead of thinking any of her replies (even though part of her wondered that, if he was such a great witch, why had he not fixed his eyesight?) Sakura ducked beneath the leg that tried to kick her in the head and slammed her hand down onto his thigh, her smirk widening at his shout of pain.

What, did Kabuto truly believe that he was the only medic in the world to know offensive medical ninjutsu? With her chakra alone, she had sliced his thigh muscles effortlessly.

But then, completely surprising her, Kabuto lunged forward, his hand glowing blue as he did.

Just as the blue–glowing hand was about to strike her, however, somebody flashed in front of her, easily capturing Kabuto's wrist.

"What–"

Sakura stared up at the sight before her with wide eyes.

"I will not allow you to harm Sakura."

Sharingan eyes narrowed dangerously a second before Itachi spun once, his foot landing firmly into Kabuto's chest and throwing him across the cave, slamming him into a jagged stone wall. It barely caused a disturbance with the cave and all that really happened was a few stones crumbling from the ceiling, looking more like sand. Only a second later and Itachi was turning, kneeling down in front of Sakura and assessing her wounds.

There were barely anything on or wrong with her, but the sight of her arm angered him.

"I–I'm okay, Itachi–"

"You left me." he murmured, eyebrows knitting together no matter how badly he fought for composure.

"Not because I wanted to." she whispered just as quietly, eyes stinging. "Orochimaru… He… He has them, Itachi. He told me that if I bring you with me, he'd killed them."

Itachi straightened up, glancing around the cave. "Where is Sasuke?"

"He's supposed to be looking for my parents, but Orochimaru wanted to see him alone and I didn't know what to do so I tried to follow and–

"Calm down, Sakura." He was on his feet in an instant, pulling Sakura to hers. "I will take care of Kabuto."

"Itachi–"

A small smile graced his lips as Itachi gently cupped her cheek. "Find your parents, hime."

Just as the words left his lips, three others were joining them, standing in front of Itachi and Sakura as Kabuto shakily climbed to his feet once more, all of his weight onto his uninjured leg and watching them all with a narrowed gaze. And Sakura's breath caught at the sight of Fugaku, Mikoto and Shisui. Even though their backs were to her, even though she could not see their expressions, she knew they would be intimidating due to the sudden drop in temperature.

"You have fought well so far." He told her, pressing his lips to her forehead, feeling so very glad and grateful that Sakura was in his arms and _alive_. "But now I want you to focus on nothing but finding your parents. My father, mother and Shisui will accompany you in your search and they will protect your parents."

"But Kabuto knows medical–"

"I know." Itachi cut her off, wanting nothing more than to drag his mate against him and hold onto her tighter. Instead, however, he stayed where he was, his features as blank as they always were. "Go, Sakura."

Reluctantly, so very reluctantly, she pulled away, only to pause. "How did you know where we were?"

"You cannot control your emotions." He gave a small smirk. "And when they were intense earlier, I managed to look into your mind."

Instead of feeling embarrassed that Itachi had been reading her mind, Sakura felt incredibly relieved and grateful, so much so that she reached out to him once more and gripped the back of his head, pulling him down to her height so that she could kiss him on the lips, smiling into the kiss at his surprise.

"I love you."

It was the first time she had ever said the words to him.

No, it was the first time either of them had said the words, even though Itachi did not have the time repeat them.

Taking a deep breath to ignore the nervous fluttering in her stomach, Sakura kissed him one more time before finally pulling away. "Keep your mind empty, Itachi. He can read it."

He was still in shock over her confession, though nodded once, masking his expression as he turned to face Kabuto, ignoring the smirk his mother sent his way and ignoring the raised eyebrow Shisui sent him.

And as his eyes met Kabuto's, his sharingan transformed into its new design.

"You will tell me where Sakura's parents are being held."

Kabuto warily glanced over the four Uchiha.

When he received no answer, Itachi then stated, "I do not like repeating myself."

Again, Kabuto refused to answer.

Sakura couldn't help but gasp in shock when Itachi suddenly appeared before him, gripping Kabuto's neck tightly and slamming him against the wall, glaring down at him with his sharingan. Kabuto was weakly trying to break the hold, his hands clutching a tight hold of Itachi's wrist, but the Uchiha was unmoving, merely lifting him higher up the wall until they were eye level.

"They may not be aware of it, but Sakura's parents are a part of my clan. They are under my protection." Kabuto's eyes went wide as they once again met Itachi's, time slowing down as they did so. "You will tell me where they are."

Frowning, Sakura leaned forward ever so slightly but when she took a step closer, Mikoto held out her arm, stopping the movement and keeping her behind them. "Itachi is using his sharingan to extract information, Sakura–chan. He will never use it on you, but it best that you stay back. There is no telling how Kabuto will react when it is over."

The only thing was…

When Itachi released him from both his sharingan and his hold, Kabuto didn't react at all. Instead, he dropped to the ground, unmoving. Instead, his eyes remained fixed onto the ground, unfocused and heavy and there was blood slowly trickling from his nose.

And despite Mikoto's warning, Sakura made her way straight over to the two men, frowning up at Itachi's expression as she knelt beside Kabuto. Through the bond, he was feeling confused and she knew it was because of Kabuto's condition. So, she made several hand seals as best as she could with only one fully functioning arm before her glowing hands were at the sides of Kabuto's head, examining his mind and trying to figure out what had gone wrong. At that moment in time, she was torn about whether or not she should fix it. However, considering all the pain Kabuto had caused, and the fact he wanted to experiment not only on herself but also her parents, Sakura was leaning on the 'do not heal him' side. Yes, she was a medic, therefore she should heal everybody without question and with all the power within herself, but…

This man was a monster.

"He's…" She frowned more deeply. "Not exactly brain dead, but… Close. Your sharingan put a lot of stress on his mind, Itachi."

"He tried to resist and use his magic to force me out." he explained plainly, voice blank.

Extracting her chakra, Sakura stood up and away from Kabuto. Even though he reeked of rotting flesh like all the others, the blood that was trickling from his nose and over his lips was beginning to overpower the rotting flesh smell. "I guess that means you can help me find my parents, too." She tried to smile, but it came out as nothing more than a twitch of her lips.

Fugaku stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "We need to dispose of him. It could lead to trouble later on if we do not."

Instead of protesting, instead of trying to defend the defenceless man, Sakura closed her eyes and breathed deeply, nodding once.

"Go ahead." Fugaku ordered them both. "I will dispose of him."

Itachi took her hand without warning and walked past Kabuto's slumped form, heading straight to the double doors and opening them, entering without pausing for a second.

* * *

For several centuries now, he'd been made to live in an alternative universe. Not mere years, not days or hours. _Centuries_. Constantly torn between what was real and what wasn't, between what he was destined to do or be. Some days, he saw himself as nothing but an avenger and everybody in his path had to be taken out and all bonds had to be severed, all so that he could obtain his ultimate goal. Other days, he was back in the real world, confused as to what the hell was going on.

It was torture.

So when Sasuke heard others complaining and whining about how mundane daily tasks were 'torture', he couldn't help but grow agitated. When they were harmed in some way, or injured themselves and cried and begged for the pain to stop, he only grew angrier.

They thought _that_ was torture?

If so, then they would not survive what had been going on up in his mind every day for centuries now. They would not withstand the amount of psychological and emotional pain that was continuously gnawing at him.

How would they feel if their sibling – the person they admired and looked up to most – suddenly turned on their entire family, without a reason, slaughtering them all like they were nothing but animals? How would they feel if that same sibling then went on to mentally torturing them by replaying the events over and over again for hours on end? How would they feel knowing they could never avenge their family, because their sibling – their brilliant, genius of a sibling – was ridiculously powerful and they were unable to catch up to them?

_That_ was torture.

Growing up completely alone and isolated with a mind that was so very unhinged, focusing on nothing but becoming stronger and avenging his family. How would he do that? By killing the man who had taken them away from him. He would slaughter his older brother without hesitation for everything–

Inwardly, Sasuke shook his head and demanded that he snapped out of it. It wasn't real. None of it was real. Itachi was not the murderer of their clan and Sasuke was not an avenger hell bent on killing his older brother. His parents were somewhat alive and their eldest son cared dearly for them both, even if he didn't always show it. And that idiot Naruto wasn't chasing after him for years on end, demanding that he returned to the village where his entire family was slaughtered–

Focused.

He needed to stay focused.

Getting lost in those thoughts was nothing short of torture, so despite how difficult it was, how impossible it seemed, Sasuke demanded himself to not focus on them. After all, he would need to stay focused in order to defeat Orochimaru and once he defeated the witch, then the curse would be lifted. There would be no more being torn between realities and there would be no more vicious visions in his mind, torturing him.

He would be free.

After centuries, he would be free!

Narrowing his eyes a fraction, Sasuke continued to follow the lackey who was leading him to Orochimaru. Hopefully, Sakura would have caught onto what he really meant by saying "try not to cause any trouble" though if she didn't, well… Either way, she would grow angry. The only difference being that she would be acting if she caught onto his meaning. So, in other words, what Sasuke basically wanted her to do was take out the other lackey and investigate the place. If she came across her parents, then she would know instinctively to get them the hell out of this place.

He'd been separated from Sakura for around four and a half minutes now and already, he was growing bored of simply following his lackey. Instead of saying anything, however, Sasuke inwardly sighed and remained emotionless.

And then the lackey was pushing open a set of double doors, throwing them open and stepping to the side, smirking at Sasuke as the Uchiha stepped into the room. It was large and spacious, looking more like a training area more than an ordinary room. And right at the back of the room, instead of an ordinary wall, there was a large snake head carved into the stone (the rest of the body positioned around it, like it was curling in on itself), with a candle in each of its eyes so it looked as though they were ominously glowing in the otherwise darkened area. It wasn't any trouble for Sasuke to see, however. His eyes rarely missed anything.

Which was why he was suddenly throwing his arm out to the side of him, katana pointed threateningly towards the witch standing to the side of the room and as it did, his lightning element lashed out out his hand, pinning the man's arms to his right shoulder as it pierced them.

"You're weak, Orochimaru." Sasuke muttered, a sly smirk on his lips. "Don't tell me your vessel has already deteriorated."

When he spoke, his voice was low, raspy, like he'd just been suffering from a coughing fit. Sasuke knew exactly how they sounded and how the person suffering from one would sound. After all, he'd cared for Itachi during his illness. "How do you know about my vessels?"

At the hiss his smirk widened. "Did you really think I wouldn't be watching you?" Pushing the bolt lightning further into Orochimaru's shoulder, Sasuke walked further into the large hall, his footsteps as well as his voice echoing. "While I was training, I watched you." The smirk slipped away and he was once more emotionless. "You made a mistake when you cast that curse on me, Orochimaru: in that world, you gave so much away, so easily. This includes your plans. It was a hunch, but I knew they weren't far from your real version's plans and watching you over the past couple of centuries confirmed that."

"So you decided to bide your time." he hissed in return. "Hiding away like a coward until I was weaker."

"No. I waited for the best opportunity to strike, but I was by no means quiet about it." Sasuke's sharingan began to swirl as he fought hard to keep his mind from going back to the madness, into the other world. "It would have been reckless of me to attack you whilst you were still at full strength."

"But that is where you are wrong, Sasuke–kun." Orochimaru cackled, attempting to push against the lightning bolt. "I may be weakened, but I still have centuries of experience that you do not."

That he did not doubt. Orochimaru was around the same age as Tsunade and Jiraiya – meaning he was born over a millennia ago. There was no telling how many battles the witch had been in and how many of them he had just about survived, how many left him clinging to what was left of his life. It was said that Orochimaru was powerful, but how powerful was he? Sure, he could get inside of people's minds by simply looking them in the eye and sure, he was more or less immortal, however, Itachi had always taught him that everything had a flaw and nothing was perfect.

Somewhere, there was a flaw in Orochimaru's immortality and it amused Sasuke that it was looking at him right now. The flaw was the vessel itself. If the vessel was weak, Orochimaru was weak, which meant hardly any chakra. It was by no means a fair fight and was not honourable to take him out while weakened, while not at his best. But was it fair to cast a curse on Sasuke not long after his transformation, when his mind was still vulnerable? Was it fair to have tortured him for centuries since that day, never once letting up? Sasuke didn't even get any peace in his sleep because even then, Orochimaru and his fake world was there!

He wanted to be able to look at his big brother once more and _not_ want to rip his throat out, to _not_ want to tortuously kill him.

Not letting up on the lightning piercing Orochimaru for a moment, Sasuke walked closer to the witch until they were only ten feet apart, watching as he attempted to try and pull himself off the lightning jutsu. He simply shot it straight into the wall, pinning Orochimaru easily.

"Orochimaru," Sasuke stated blankly, eyes now devoid of emotion as he got serious, "you're weaker than me."

"Big words for a mere Uchiha hatchling!"

In response, Sasuke scoffed. He was hardly just a hatchling, considering how long he'd been around. "You want my sharingan, right? You want mine because Itachi has always been too powerful for you to handle. The same goes for the rest of my clan, which is why you singled me out and waited until I was alone, attacking me while I was young, vulnerable and weak." There was a pause that lasted a split second. "That is why you targeted me, the hatchling. Isn't that right?"

Orochimaru's golden eyes fixed on Sasuke's, but the witch's attempts of casting another curse on him were wasted, thanks to the training Itachi had given to him as well as the book explaining clearly how to counter a witch's curses with the sharingan. At first he had put it off as complete and utter bullshit because he _knew_ how powerful Orochimaru's curses were. He knew how difficult they were to break. Surely, if it was that easy to brush off the curses like they were nothing…

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his lightning jutsu widening, effectively widening the hole in Orochimaru's arms and shoulder.

"Perhaps in both this world and the one you forced my mind into you, you are considered as a genius, but you could never reach the level of an Uchiha. No matter how much of a genius someone is, they're nothing but mediocre in front of the name 'Uchiha'. You've even drugged and transferred your own body." the Uchiha said with disgust. "Before my name, your methods of obtaining the power of an Uchiha are laughable at best. Also, I dislike your methods."

He did not hear or see the three others that ran straight into the room. He did not see the hyperactive blond pouncing on the lackey who had remained frozen at the door, tearing into him like a wild, out of control animal. No, Sasuke was too busy desperately fighting for his reality. Orochimaru was pushing himself into his mind, he could feel him entering it and trying to shove Sasuke into the 'other world'. At that moment in time, while he was fighting for the freedom from that world, he could also feel his mind fading slightly, focusing on his 'avenger' self.

In his mind, flashes of what Orochimaru had done to innocent people in the 'other world' haunted Sasuke, confirming just how much of a monster he was. Like Kabuto, Orochimaru liked to experiment on people, keeping them chained to walls and half naked, just barely alive.

Not noticing the three behind him, the woman who threw her arms out at the two men, making them stop in their movements, Sasuke's hand shook with the pressure in his mind, but otherwise remained stoic, emotionless.

"You've been toying with life after life." Sasuke eventually continued in the same, disgusted tone, enjoying the fact that Orochimaru was beginning to sweat, that he was panting harshly against the strain on his body. The lightning jutsu was burning his shoulder and arms to a crisp, just like Sasuke had planned. "To reveal and divulge in the truth of this world or whatever, for your own selfish reasons, you view people as toys and continue to play with them." Red eyes narrowed, the tomoe in his sharingan spinning not only due to his anger, but also because of it countering Orochimaru's spells.

Images flashed through Sasuke's mind again, images of the 'other world' and the monster Itachi had been. He was just a child in those images, barely even eight years old, yet he was laying on the ground, crying into the blood that was draining from his parents' bodies.

Sasuke growled deeply from within his chest. _"You disgust me!"_

And then he lunged.

The lightning jutsu never faltered for a moment, even as Sasuke drew back his katana, fully intent on ending it right then, right _now_.

But much to his surprise, just when he thought Orochimaru was watching in horror, the witch opened his mouth and something was leaping out of it, causing Tsunade to quickly jump out of the way, causing Jiraiya to grab Naruto and do the same. Sasuke followed the movement with narrowed eyes, releasing his hold on the now empty body that slumped to the floor.

And as he turned fully around, he saw the real Orochimaru.

It was an unpleasant sight to say the least.

Towering over them all was a gigantic, white snake, but instead of the usual snake head, this one looked similar to Orochimaru, in a way, although not entirely. It had his skin tone and hair and it also had his eyes, but this face was far too sharp and it had far too many teeth.

"A white–scaled serpent." Sasuke commented tonelessly.

"This is his true form." Tsunade hissed, gesturing for the other two to fall back. "Sasuke needs to be the one who defeats Orochimaru. It's the only way to lift the curse!"

Dry amusement was on the Uchiha's features as he stared up at the true form of Orochimaru without a flicker of fear. "In order to transfer from one body to another, you've repeatedly experimented, and in the end, _this_ is how you turned out?"

Finally, after what had seemed like an eternity of silence, Orochimaru spoke up. "Now, Sasuke–kun… I'll have that body of yours!"

He didn't even blink as the head of Orochimaru's true form shot towards him. He didn't listen to Naruto screaming his name, telling him to look out (like he somehow couldn't see the snake). Instead, he leaped over the head, hearing how it crashed into the ground and causing it to shake ever so slightly before he was once more on the defensive. This time, it was from much smaller heads. He found they were easily dealt with, however, as Sasuke sliced through them with his katana, not in the least bit fazed.

He'd been waiting a long time for this day, after all.

Landing on his hand, Sasuke quickly flipped himself over, sliding across the stone ground on his feet for a moment before managing to stop himself and the second he did, Orochimaru was lunging for him once more, both his large head and the smaller ones that surrounded his body.

His sharingan made predicting all movements easy and thankfully, he'd always been fast. That speed only increased when Itachi began pushing him during training, demanding that he be even faster.

But the heads kept coming.

By now, however, Orochimaru was panting loudly, clearly still weakened.

This would be easy.

"Even though the snake dreams of soaring through the sky, it is forever doomed to crawl upon its belly." Even as the snakes began to wrap around his body, Sasuke kept calm and continued to speak, not listening to the sound of Jiraiya restraining Naruto. "So in order to obtain wings, you targeted the hatchling in the nest, but have now become the prey yourself."

And then all of the snakes that had been surrounding him seemed to explode, though they all vaguely noticed that it was due to his katana slicing through them with unseeable speed.

"The prey of the hawk that shall now soar high through the skies."

Uchiha Sasuke had always enjoyed toying with his prey before devouring them.

Leaping into the air and attaching himself to the stone wall with his chakra, Sasuke dodged the snake heads that were once more trying to attack him, creating a blade made out of lightning as he did so, making it even easier to tear through them as he met the snakes head on.

But then Orochimaru's actual head was aiming for him, fangs bared as he yelled loudly.

Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction, though he was quick to fall into a defensive stance and lunge to meet this attack head on, also.

"Sasuke!" Orochimaru yelled with longing, wanting nothing more than to take over his body, to obtain his sharingan.

* * *

**A/N - I haven't had time to fully edit this chapter, so the ending part (Sasuke's point of view), is more or less unedited. It's getting late where I'm from and I have to be up at six in the morning tomorrow. Please tell me if there are any mistakes!**

**Okay, bit of warning: I'm not entirely sure when the next chapter will be out, because I'm kind of still writing it. I usually make sure I'm at least five chapters ahead of the one I'm posting, but what with college being so demanding and for other personal reasons, I haven't spent as much time as I wanted on my stories.**

**Is anybody else excited for Naruto Part 3? Yeah, I get that it's not going to be about Naruto, but I'm still so happy it's coming out soon!**

**Oh... One last thing...**

**Next chapter is the final chapter. Is there anything any of you want to see in it?**


	19. Let's Start Our Forever

**Chapter 18 – Let's Start Our Forever**

"Sakura?"

She looked around them, eyebrows furrowed with pained confusion and it was obvious with just one look at her features that she was becoming desperate, that she was letting her emotions get the best of her. "I can sense my dad's spirit. It's in this room! But… But he's not here!"

Itachi's eyes instantly swept over to Shisui's, nodding once to him and as soon as he did, the older Uchiha closed his eyes and raised his hand, forming a single hand seal.

"_Kai!"_

Within their clan – no, possibly since Uchiha Madara, Shisui's genjutsu level went unrivalled. During his human life, Shisui had had basic skill in that area, had been not exactly average, but just above it and above everyone else – including Itachi. And in all their years as vampires, he had only become more powerful with genjutsu. The only reason he most likely hadn't immediately detected the use of genjutsu, was because it was Orochimaru's. The witch had many tricks up his sleeve, so would be able to easily disguise it.

And the moment he uttered the release, the moment he cancelled it out with his chakra, two beings were revealed to them, the sight of her parents immediately reducing Sakura to tears as she shot over to them.

They were chained to the walls, bodies hanging limply and heavily against their restraints and their skin was dirty, although not bruised. It seemed Karin's words were true – they had not been harmed. At least, not physically. Something about the looks in their eyes told Sakura something more was going on.

"M–Mebuki…"

At her father's raspy and slow voice, even though he wasn't looking at her, Sakura quickly nodded and swallowed hard, working on her mother's restraints instead of his. A moment later, however, Itachi was there and helping Kizashi. It was with shaking hands that Sakura clawed at the cuffs around her mother's wrists, tearing them in half with her strength and next, came the anklet cuffs. They were also easily dealt with and as soon as she was released, Mebuki collapsed into her daughter's arms, her own arms too heavy to lift.

Mikoto was by her side in an instant, aiding Sakura in gently lowering Mebuki to the ground, holding the other mother's back so that she didn't fall backwards and hit her head. And when Itachi released Kizashi, Shisui was helping his cousin sit Kizashi down, also.

Sakura made several hand seals, quickly placing her hands over one of her mother's arms, rubbing it up and down rhythmically to try and encourage the blood back into them, to help the circulation. Her arms were on their way to turning a deep shade of purple, a clear indication that the circulation had been cut off, but that wasn't all that told Sakura that. She could _sense_ where the blood was pumping throughout her body, and none was able to get to her arms.

It was difficult focusing on her mother's blood whilst also trying to ignore it. Unlike the lackeys they had encountered, neither of her parents reeked of rotting flesh, although a smell of damp clung to them as well as sweat.

"How is he?" Sakura asked Itachi, though was unable to look at her father herself.

After a moment of watching him, Itachi glanced away from Kizashi and to Sakura. "He appears to be in shock."

"No…" Shisui frowned and activated his sharingan. "Their chakra is disturbed."

"But–"

"Every living thing has chakra, Sakura–san." he told her patiently. "Just because humans can no longer summon it, it does not mean they do not have it." Sighing, he placed one hand on Kizashi's forehead, the other being gently placed onto Mebuki's, before he was once more murmuring the release.

Carefully, Sakura allowed the green glow of her chakra to fade away into nothing, her hand slowly raising and cupping her mother's cheek.

Only to pull it away when the woman flinched.

"I–I'm sorry." Sakura frowned, averting her eyes.

From behind Mebuki, Mikoto's eyes saddened. They should have warned Sakura somehow that it may not be a pleasant experience being reunited with her parents, especially under the current circumstances. No doubt her parents were on edge and terrified beyond belief – and with good reason! They had been kidnapped out of their own home and dumped into this… As Mikoto's eyes scanned the cell, she found that she could not use words to describe how horrific the cell appeared.

It looked more like a torture chamber, one dating back many centuries ago. Built to do nothing but intimidate the prisoners, the victims, since most of the equipment seemed unusable now. Orochimaru most likely kept them for show, to terrify his prey. It sickened the Uchiha matriarch. It always had. However, it never sickened her to the extent that it did right at that moment in time, while she was holding one of his victims in her arms, feeling how the woman was trembling with fear. These people… They were so innocent, yet had been caught up in their world.

No amount of apologising would ever make things right.

"Sakura?" Kizashi gasped as he looked over to her, only for his fear to double when he saw his daughter kneeling in front of Mebuki sadly. "Not you, too!"

Not–

Oh.

She quickly shook her head, swallowing hard. "No, I… I came back for you both."

Slowly, Mebuki's heavy eyes met hers, green clashing with green. It pained Sakura how the once bright eyes of her mother were now dull and at the sight of them, her lower lip began trembling.

"I'm so sorry!"

It was instinctively how Mebuki reacted to her daughter's pain, shrugging out of Mikoto's hold and embracing Sakura tightly, pulling her head to her chest and stroking her hair. And part of Sakura couldn't help but think that it was probably the first time since she was a toddler that Mebuki had held her, though did not voice those thoughts in case she ruined the moment. Instead, she held onto her mother as tightly as she could without hurting her, crying into her chest.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Mebuki's voice was low and croaky, like she hadn't had a drink in quite a while and her throat was dry as a result.

But it was. The words had almost left her lips before Sakura silenced herself and gently pulled away, locking eyes with her mother. In the darkness of the cell, her parents' human eyes did not take in the difference of Sakura's appearance, which she was thankful for. "They didn't… hurt you, did they?"

Oh God the thought of her parents being tortured made her feel sick, but the thought of them being assaulted in the same way she had been, made her feel even sicker.

After a pause, Kizashi shook his head for them both, silently saying no, they had not been abused. "I had this awful dream, though." he muttered after a few moments, rubbing at his arms and when he did, Sakura moved over to him and helped out. The circulation appeared to have been temporarily cut off for him, also. Thankfully, neither were at risk of losing any limbs as far as she could tell. "It was that man! The one who hisses when he talks. He kept telling us that he needed his 'vessel' and that the time was coming for his 'vessel' to come to him." Frowning, he watched Sakura's expression. "And in the dream, I was forced to watch some sort of cannibal over and over again as it ate people!"

Not for the first time, Sakura swallowed hard and closed her eyes, trying her best not to breathe in either of their scents. And, when her eyes opened and briefly met Itachi's, they both knew that that 'cannibal' had been a vampire. The only reason she knew it wasn't actually her he had seen, was because he didn't recognise the 'cannibal' – well, Kizashi hadn't mentioned if he did or not.

"Mebuki–san," Mikoto spoke softly as she carefully turned the woman to the side, so that she could see her eyes, "I must go and meet with my husband, will you be okay with the others?"

The only reason she was asking was because now that Sakura had moved over to her father, Mebuki was gripping a tight hold of Mikoto, unknowingly seeking comfort from the other woman. And realising what she was doing, Mebuki took a deep breath and nodded once, releasing Mikoto.

"Thank you, uh…"

"Mikoto." the Uchiha gave her a gentle smile. "Uchiha Mikoto."

Something flashed in her parents' eyes, something that looked so very much like suspicion and disbelief, before Kizashi was turning his head to the side and narrowing his eyes on Shisui, easily recognising the man as the officer who had been in charge of Sakura's disappearance case. However, just as he opened his mouth, Mikoto placed a soothing hand on Mebuki's shoulder and spoke, taking the attention away from Shisui.

"Please, you both must try to relax. All questions you have _will_ be answered later by your daughter, but until then, we must focus on getting out of here. Now, if you will excuse me," She stood up gracefully, hands folded neatly in front of her, "I must meet with my husband."

With that, she disappeared through the door they just entered from, going to Fugaku.

"Itachi?"

"Itachi?" Kizashi repeated his daughter's words, turning to face the tall man with a frown. "What happened to the one you were travelling with, Sakura? The one called Dai?"

Dai? Sakura's eyes went wide at the name, only just remembering the lie she and Itachi had told. Using a very low–level henge jutsu, Itachi had changed a few things about his appearance and then had gone on to using the name 'Dai', so that Kizashi didn't get suspicious, so that there were no connections to the Uchiha clan. How could she have forgotten something like that? Sure, the past couple of days had been stressful and sure, there had been nothing but her parents on her mind, but…

A hand pressed to the small of her back, making Sakura jolt ever so slightly before taking a deep, calming breath. Having people touching her back was still rather unnerving, but sensing Itachi beside her, knowing that it was only him, she breathed out a sigh of relief.

"As my mother said, Kizashi–san: it will be best to leave all questions until later. I promise you, they will be answered."

Mebuki frowned, slowly shuffling closer to her husband and taking his hand, holding it tightly. "Sakura?"

She looked away, unable to look at their hopeful expressions. "Itachi…"

He glanced up at his cousin, who nodded once in response.

"Let's go."

* * *

"_Mokuton: Sashiki no Jutsu!_"

Obito shot forward, his feet digging into the ground as his chakra caused the air around them to tremble, causing each of his steps to leave craters and as his hand shot out from the protection of his cloak's sleeve, a sturdy piece of wood seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was launched with terrifying speed and strength, slamming into a witch and knocking him into other witches. As soon as he made contact with the witches, Obito made a single seal, his one eye widening with rage as the piece of wood multiplied, all but exploding and capturing the other two witches with the fatal blow.

They had all known that this battle would be deadly. In his opinion, witches were disgusting and deceitful beings, ones who were incredibly sly and would use anything they could against their opponents. Battles against witches were not fair in the least and an example of that would be the fact they were targeting Rin, since it was obvious that she was the weakest.

He would not allow that to happen.

Skidding to a halt in front of his mate, Obito stood before her protectively, bracing himself for his next attack. He would not allow Rin to be harmed and he most definitely would not allow her to die. Once already she had almost left him alone in this world and that was one time too many. It couldn't happen. It just couldn't. The loss of her would _destroy_ him.

Channelling his chakra and breathing deeply, Obito held back his shout of pain as his wood element shot out of the right side of his body in spikes, startling the woman behind him as she took a quick step back. There were many things Obito disliked about Uchiha Madara, but he was grateful for two things. The first being the transformation because without it, Rin would have died and the second was the way he had healed Obito before changing him. Something strange had happened and there was no denying it because while he was still human, he hadn't been able to use the wood element. After the transformation, he could.

"_What the hell is that guy?"_ He heard one of the witches screaming.

Just as they threw their weapons at him, Obito used his Kamui technique, effectively allowing the weapons to pass straight through him and straight past Rin, who had thankfully taken a step back the moment she saw Obito's wood element.

"I won't allow you…" His breathing was heavy, body shaking with rage at the thought of the witches targeting his mate. "…to touch Rin!"

And with the same ground shaking, ground crumbling speed as before, Obito shot forward once more, growling angrily from deep within his chest as he did so.

* * *

Sand burst from the ground beneath them, snaking around the witches standing before them so very easily and when Gaara raised his hand, making a hand seal with the other, he narrowed his eyes and squeezed the raised hand into a fist.

"_Sabaku Kyū!"_

Piercing screams sounded through the air, drawing the attention from those around them, but Gaara was too lost in the battle to care. The lackeys before him were not important and had chosen their fates the day they met Orochimaru. To him, they weren't even people and in a battle between vampires and witches, they were weak and irrelevant. Pathetic, even.

As soon as they had reached the cave, Orochimaru's lackeys had dashed out into the open, meeting them head on and clashing with the vampires. Some of the attacks were effective, Gaara wasn't going to lie. Once or twice now, he had had to use his sand to protect his siblings, to stop the deadly attacks headed their way. On him, however, their mind tricks would not work. No matter what they tried on him, the sand automatically protected Gaara and stopped all attacks from reaching him.

Folding his arms over his chest, he watched the witches through narrowed eyes and was able to see not only his siblings, but also Obito's clan battling out of the corner of his eye. It seemed Obito was going all out in an effort to protect his mate, being driven by the bond completely, whereas Kakashi was more laid back in his battle, seeming almost bored as he disposed of one lackey after another. At one point, his hand even itched to reach for the pouch that held his precious book.

There was no doubt in his mind that Kakashi was ahead of the witches mentally. After all, he was the one who had trained Sasuke at one point, so obviously he would have to be a genius (any less would not be good enough for the arrogant, proud Uchiha). He was most likely reciting all the books he'd read in his mind, keeping his mind from being read. It certainly would explain why one or two of the witches he was battling were blushing.

Suddenly, three others were joining the battle and Gaara whirled around, his sand raising around him and threatening to lash out at any second.

Hunters.

"Stop, Gaara." Temari dropped in front of him, holding one of her arms out to the side. "Remember what Uchiha Itachi said: one of these hunters is a friend of Sakura's."

The mentioning of her name had the three hunters stopping, had a dark haired male stepping forward. Each of them were coated in blood and Gaara's sensitive nose could pick up on the fact that it was a mixture of different scents. As well as this, they were all injured by the looks of things, but not fatally.

"Where is Sakura? Has she managed to find her parents?"

"Sai–taichou, please stand back. We cannot continue to fight without back up any longer. Things are escalating too quickly for us." A purple haired woman explained to the man named Sai. "This is no longer helping out an old friend, taichou. This is a war between two supernatural kinds. We have no hope in surviving."

Sai's eyes never left Gaara's. "Has she managed to save her parents?"

The sound of his blood was mesmerising. All of them were. Adrenaline was rushing through their veins, their breathing was heavy and sounding more like pants and sweat was running down their temples. His sand wrapped around Kankuro's wrist when he stepped towards the hunters, turning his back on his enemies. It seemed he was also feeling the powerful, indescribable urge to hunt.

"We have yet to hear from them." replied Temari. Sai's eyes instantly snapped to hers. "The rest of her clan should have met with her by now, but we can't be sure."

"Sai–"

"I know, Tenzo–senpai." the dark haired man stated, glancing at the brunet out of the corner of his eye. "It is as you and Azarni have told me, however. After this battle is over, we will go back to being enemies. I don't expect either of you to understand, but I know that Sakura is still herself."

"We didn't know Sakura when she was human." Gaara muttered, his icy blue eyes narrowing a fraction. This man was Sakura's precious person and right at that moment in time, he was still fighting for her. He was still trying to protect her despite the fact he was supposed to be hunting her. "However, from the time we have spent together, I can assure you all now that Sakura is not like ourselves."

Something flashed in Sai's eyes. "Uchiha Sasuke mentioned something along those lines earlier. She refuses to hunt humans and feels impossibly strong emotions for a being that is supposed to be frozen."

Frozen? No emotions? Gaara resisted the urge to scoff. It seemed hunters had very little knowledge on vampires, although they seemed very aware of witches. All they really knew about vampires was that fire killed them and they drank blood. That was all. Then again, it wasn't all that surprising. Whenever hunters and vampires clashed, either all of the hunters would die, or all of the vampires would die – and when vampires died, their bodies were completely incinerated, which meant the hunters could gather no information about them. It was much too dangerous and risky to capture a vampire, also.

The truth was, was that they all experienced emotions. But like humans, every vampire was unique. Take a look at Sakura! She experienced more human emotions than the rest of them and seemed to truly empathise with everyone she crossed paths with. Then take a look at himself and Naruto. The pair of them had much more refined, animalistic senses than the others, like there was a beast residing within them and it boosted their senses.

Now was not the time to be going into a debate, or to be listing off how different and unique vampires could be, though. Right now, they needed to dispose of Orochimaru's lackeys.

Sniffing the air for a moment, Gaara turned his head to the left, regarding the opening of the cave.

"They're coming."

Temari glanced over her shoulder at him. "Who? Sakura?"

He nodded once. "And her parents. I can smell them."

She turned around fully, watching her youngest brother warily. "If you can smell them already, then that means–"

"It means nothing, Temari." Gaara said patiently, even though he wasn't feeling all that patient. "Everybody around here is covered in the same rotting flesh stench. Sakura and her parents are not. That is why I can smell them so clearly."

Humans all had a powerful smell. The three before him, the hunters covered in both their own blood and their enemies, each had a scent that called to him. That was simply how things worked. Some humans had a barely even noticeable scent, whilst others had an unforgettable, impossible to ignore scent. According to Mikoto's story long ago, Sakura's human scent had been unbearable to them all and at one point, Sasuke had even had to leave the home. The only reason she and Fugaku hadn't was because of Itachi. He'd been so very possessive and protective of his mate and would allow no harm to come to her. He would be capable of stopping them should they even think about hunting.

Scents had nothing to do with what family the person was from or who their ancestors were. It was about who the person was. For example, his older sister. Temari's human scent had been obnoxious and demanding. It had been strong and almost enough to drive Gaara insane during the first few months of his new life. That was because of who she was as a person. The weaker a person was, the less fight they had in them and the less powerful their emotions were, the weaker their scent was.

Gaara had discovered that in the first few months of being a vampire. The differences in his siblings' blood had confused him for a while, long enough for him to hold back on killing them both and instead studying them. Kankuro was more reserved than Temari and didn't have that same feisty nature. However, because he was a fighter, his scent was noticeable, yet not demandingly so.

From what he'd been told by Sakura, he gathered that she got many traits from her mother. Anger being one of those traits. It certainly explained why he could pick up on her mother's scent from all the way outside. The reason why he knew it was her mother and not her father was because of the slight difference in it, the femininity. Like he and Naruto had noticed back when Obito's clan had been staying in the Uchiha hideout, because of their boosted, animalistic senses, they could pick up on the shift in the blood. They could detect whether the one they could smell was male or female.

He could smell a woman. A woman who had been bathing in her own sweat and who knows what else for the past couple of days. He could smell a woman who had a fiery nature, one who was loud, passionate, demanding and had one hell of an angry streak within her. She was confident, proud and arrogant, yet with her family, she was tender and soft. More often than not, Gaara was guessing the woman argued with people, though not hatefully. The woman had absolutely no hate within her. Just anger.

And then, he picked up on Sakura's scent. As usual, her powerful emotions called to him, like they called to all others. The anger that was residing in the very pit of her stomach, the one that showed every now and then when somebody foolishly angered her, also called to him. Her emotions were so very powerful and all that she felt was incredibly raw. He could sense her passion and her _need_ to protect and heal. The confidence was new, however and most likely from Tsunade's training. What he could pick up much more easily than the other things, the thing that called to him the most, had to be her innocence.

It was a shame she had already found her mate.

His sand lashed out around them, piercing the witches who had been attempting to sneak up on them. Fools. Just because they had masked their own scents, it did not mean that they couldn't smell them. Rotting flesh and damp were strong scents, after all. You would have to be a fool to miss them.

"Where is the other human?" Kankuro questioned after taking a whiff of the air around them. "I can smell another who came with you–"

"Dead." Sai answered tonelessly. "He died when we were battling the witches."

Just as the words left his mouth, colour flashed out of the corner of their eyes a moment before a large group was landing beside them. The two humans clung tightly to Itachi and Shisui, their eyes squeezed shut and bodies shaking. Sakura was in front of them, eyes narrowed and expression determined as she straightened up out of her landing crouch.

"Fugaku–san and Mikoto–san have gone to find Sasuke." she informed them. "There was some kind of shaking inside the cave just before we got out of there."

The humans still wouldn't open their eyes, Gaara noticed. It was like they were refusing to acknowledge anything and mixed with her other emotions, Sakura's mother was feeling terrified. Not just scared like her husband, but actually petrified. Typical. Whenever humans were faced with something of the supernatural kind, they always refused to acknowledge it and tried to brush it off as something different.

"You should take your parents home, Sakura." said Temari. "We'll deal with the rest of them."

There was hesitancy in her eyes, her determined expression cracking for just a moment. "I want Sai and his team to come with me."

Was she…?

Did she really think…?

Her brows furrowed. "Please don't think badly of me. I just… I know how much you all dislike hunters and Sai… He was Ino's most precious person. I can't let anything happen to him or his team."

"You will be enemies again as soon as this is over." Kankuro scowled. "They said that themselves."

Sakura's eyes met with Sai's, a small, sad smile on her lips. "Then after this is over, I'll do what I can to avoid him."

"Sakura–"

"Don't!" she snapped at Kankuro, glaring viciously at him. "I don't care what any of you think about this. Growing up, Sai and Ino were pretty much my only friends. I'm not letting any of you harm him!"

Noticing the chakra that was beginning to show around her fists, Gaara pulled Kankuro back with the help of his sand before folding his arms over his chest, a clear indication to Sakura that he didn't want to fight with her. "You have my word that my clan will not harm your friend unless he attacks us first. If he attacks us, however, I will not hesitate in killing him."

She nodded once. That was fair enough. "And Sasuke, speaking for his clan, has already promised the same thing."

In response to the eyes that flashed up to his face, Itachi nodded once. As heir to the clan, he could make promises such as those. Sasuke, on the other hand, shouldn't have made such a promise. It was reckless and could have possibly been dangerous, considering they were working with hunters. "The Uchiha Clan will not harm Sai."

Three others appeared by Sakura's side, startling the purple haired hunter. "My clan will not touch him, either." Obito promised her. "As long as he does not threaten us."

Green eyes slid over to the two resting on Shisui's and Itachi's backs. Just before leaving the cave, remembering how the opening had been, Sakura had warned her parents to keep their eyes closed and as soon as they had, she'd nodded to Shisui. He then went on to casting a genjutsu over them both. It was to comfort them and finally, it seemed to be working, for they were both relaxing in the Uchiha men's holds. What did she have Shisui show them? Their wedding day. They could hear and see nothing of the real world.

When she was just a little girl, on her seventh birthday, Sakura could remember a certain song being played on the radio and in response, her father took her hands before he started to spin her around the room. It wasn't the exact dance her parents had danced at their wedding (she knew because she had watched their wedding tape many times), but it was close enough to make Sakura feel so very special and so very loved. The look of absolute adoration on her father's face, of pure love, was a memory she would never be able to forget.

A soft smile graced Sakura's features as she saw that very same look of adoration and love on both Kizashi's and Mebuki's faces.

"I also want to make it known now that nobody is to harm my parents." The smile slipped away and she faced the hunters. "No hunter is to try and use them against me to lure any of the Uchiha clan into an ambush. You are not to use them at all. My parents are going to live long and happy lives and they will put what has happened to them in the past. After this, they will not make contact with the supernatural world again."

Temari's eyes snapped to Sakura's, widening a fraction. "That means you won't–"

"No." She shook her head. "I won't be seeing them again."

It broke her heart, but it was for the best. After everything with Orochimaru, it truly was for the best. And Sakura had come to that decision during the desperate journey to this hideout and it was only solidified when she saw her parents chained up to the walls, frightened and crying and–

Sakura swallowed hard. "It's too dangerous for them. Just…" Her eyes met Sai's once more. "Please, don't let any hunter use them against me."

"They will never stop looking for you." replied Sai. "You know they won't."

"I know." she whispered.

"Don't do this to them, Sakura." Sai stepped forward, raising his hand to her. "Don't leave them. We can try and find some kind of cure–"

He was cut off by Sakura shaking her head, by her reigning in her emotions and taking a deep breath, standing tall. "I'm not sick, Sai. Itachi changed me because I was mere seconds from dying. Had there been any other choice, he would have taken it without a second thought." Taking a step backwards, she stepped closer to Itachi and further from Sai. "But I'm glad there wasn't any other choice, Sai. Itachi… He saved me, but that's not why I love him. I love him because he's been so patient with me as I was finding my way, because of the many, _many_ things he's done for me since changing me."

Keeping her eyes locked with Sai's, her eyebrows furrowed, giving him a saddened, pained look. "So please don't try to make me choose, because there's no choice to make. It's always going to be Itachi, even if it means I can't be with my parents again."

The hunter sighed and closed his eyes, wishing more than anything that things could have turned out differently. "Ino would want you to be happy. Sakura…" Opening his eyes, he gave her a serious expression, asking, "Are you truly happy?"

She didn't even have to think about it. "More than I could have ever been as a human."

"You never had it easy." he muttered, frowning as he did so. "Itachi–san," Itachi looked away from his mate and down at Sai, who was still frowning, "keep Sakura happy and just know that, should anything happen to her, I will kill you."

Just as Sakura was about to yell at him, just as she took a step forward, Itachi spoke up.

"If I ever fail in keeping her safe and happy, if I ever fail Sakura at all, I will come to you willingly and I won't put up a fight."

She whirled around, eyes wide with horror and her features pained, but Itachi shook his head at her, silently telling her not to argue with him.

"Itachi–"

"Do not try arguing with me on this, Sakura."

"But, I–"

"Looks like you'll have to keep yourself out of trouble, Sakura."

At the new voice, everybody turned to face the latest to join them and as the six vampires joined the group, the hunters took a step back, easily recognising two of them.

"They're–"

"Not here to cause trouble." Tsunade stated with narrowed eyes. "Jiraiya and I are both here for the same reason as everybody else: to help Sakura and her parents."

Another blond shot forward, all but tackling Sakura as he grinned from ear to ear. "You're safe, Sakura–chan!"

"Of course I'm safe," Sakura gritted out, trying her best to shove Naruto's face away from hers without hurting him, "idiot!"

The person who had first spoken glanced up at his brother, feeling so very relieved that he could finally do so without wanting to rip Itachi's throat out. "Aniki."

Something softened in Itachi's eyes and his features relaxed, completely surprising those around them. "You did it."

From behind her youngest son, Mikoto couldn't help but smile and hold a hand to her heart at the sight of the two brothers. It had been way too long since she saw that relaxed look in Sasuke's eyes, since she saw the admiration or the lighting up of his features at the sound of Itachi's name. Seeing those expressions, knowing that there was no longer any hatred brewing inside of him for his older brother, warmed Mikoto's dead heart. It made her want to cry out happily and sob.

How long had it been since they last looked at one another as brothers (or, since Sasuke looked at Itachi like they were brothers)? Centuries. It had been centuries and those centuries felt tortuously longer with all Sasuke's hatred and pain and suffering.

"What happened?" Shisui asked, also unable to deny that seeing the 'old' Sasuke was such a wonderful sight.

It was Naruto who explained, rather excitedly, how the battle went down. He went through Sasuke's taunting speech, trying his best to impersonate the Uchiha by puffing out his chest and straightening his back, holding his head higher than usual and looking so very arrogant as he did so. Then, Naruto got to the actual battle. However, after Sasuke had taken out the many snakes, things got confusing for the blond, no matter how many times the others explained it to him.

Orochimaru had managed to break his way into Sasuke's mind and had been in the process of taking over his body, making Sasuke his next vessel.

"I don't remember it all that clearly." Sasuke recalled, thinking back on what had happened. "I can remember seeing all of his previous vessels, both men and women and there was even a couple of kids in there. They were all covered in the same kind of…. creature."

"Creature?" Itachi questioned.

"They looked and felt like intestines, only they had snake heads. They covered everything, even myself. For a few moments, I had no idea what to do to save myself and stop Orochimaru from taking over my body. I even felt sorry for his victims." For just a split second, Sasuke's eyebrows knitted together and his eyes dropped to the ground before going straight back to Itachi's, like he was speaking only to his big brother. "Then Orochimaru reappeared, merged in with the intestine–looking snakes. He told me about wanting yours more than mine, but that he'd settle for my sharingan until he was strong enough to take you on, aniki."

That did not surprise Itachi in the least. "How did you manage to defeat Orochimaru?"

"He kept getting closer and closer and all the while, I tried to come up with a strategy, but for the most part, my mind was blank. Orochimaru was messing with my head and scrambling my thoughts." Closing his eyes, Sasuke sighed. "Somehow, I managed to summon my own chakra and I turned the snakes on Orochimaru. It was his dimension, sure, but before my eyes all of his jutsu were useless."

Shisui regarded the youngest Uchiha with admiration, as did the rest of them. "Your will to survive, to rid yourself of your hatred for Itachi, turned Orochimaru's own dimension against himself. It's what saved you."

Sasuke nodded silently.

"So… He's dead?" Sakura asked, her voice quiet and hopeful. "Orochimaru is really dead?"

Again, Sasuke nodded, though this time he glanced over at the hunters. "If you want his body, settle it with Jiraiya and Tsunade. They will show you where it is."

Sai nodded once. "We will need at least a part of it to make up for allowing so many vampires to go free."

After exchanging a look with Jiraiya, who merely closed his eyes and turned his head away, Tsunade sighed. "I suppose it's a fair exchange. Just know now that his body is not in a human form. As Naruto said: Orochimaru's true self was revealed halfway through the battle. It will take a large summoning scroll to hold it."

"Azarni–san is gifted with summoning scrolls." Tenzo replied with a smile. Then, his head tilted to the side and he regarded Obito. "I couldn't help but notice earlier that you're a user of the wood element." Many eyes snapped to Obito's. "Are you a descendent of Senju Hashirama's?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes a fraction. "I can assure you now, I am the only remaining Senju. All others died out only a century after my transformation. Unless Obito is secretly a descendant of _mine_, I very much doubt he's my grandfather's descendent." Her eyes slid over to Obito's, narrowing further and making him gulp. "You and I have a lot to talk about, Uchiha Obito."

The hunter, Tenzo, raised his hands and chuckled sheepishly. "I didn't mean to get Obito–san into any trouble. I was merely asking as I myself am a wood user."

Honey brown eyes widened, her head whipping round to face Tenzo. "T–That's impossible! My grandfather–"

The sheepishness of Tenzo's expression and tone died down, leaving him to appear serious once more. "I am an experiment of Orochimaru's. If I recall correctly, I am the only one to have survived the experimentation, although Orochimaru had been close to exterminating me when he believed I was a failure. The reason why I was so quick to agree with teaming up and making a truce was because, honestly, I wished to know more about my past."

Jiraiya finally looked back to them all and frowned. "You don't know your own past?"

He shook his head. "No. All I can remember is being locked in a container filled with a special kind of water, one that somehow had Senju Hashirama's DNA mixed into it. It was being pumped into me, of that I am aware. I was also aware of the other experiments failing, dying right before my eyes. However, just before my own extermination, that is where I fail to remember correctly. All I can remember is a flash of silver before everything went dark. Several days later, I woke up in Konoha hospital, where nurses informed me that a man had saved my life, though he didn't stick around."

It was with a sigh that Kakashi stepped forward, offering Tenzo an eye crease as he smiled down at the man. "I thought I recognised you."

Dark eyes went wide. "Y–You…?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly. "You were just a child. I couldn't leave you to die, could I?" When all Tenzo was capable of doing was staring at him in shock, Kakashi once more sighed and patted his shoulder. "I was keeping an eye on Orochimaru for Jiraiya-sama at the time when I came across you. How about I fill you in on everything that happened later, though? I believe you have something you need to collect first."

He nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

* * *

They had all gone their separate ways once Orochimaru's lackeys were dealt with.

Despite Sakura's wishes of hearing them out, of listening to their stories, the others had still taken them out without a shred of hesitancy or regret. These people were not innocent, Temari had told her quietly. They weren't good people who were forced to do bad things. No, most of them willingly _chose_ that life because they wanted more power while the others simply wanted to work for Orochimaru.

And once they were defeated, the clans broke off and left. First, was Gaara's clan. The redhead had shared a few words with Naruto before approaching Sakura, murmuring his apologies for things not turning out the way she wanted them to. However, he had said quietly, it was necessary. If Sakura wished for her parents to be truly safe, then none of Orochimaru's henchmen could survive. There was no telling how many of them had seen her parents, which put them at a huge risk.

Next to leave was Obito's clan and with them, the hunters. They would be escorting the three hunters back to Konoha and during the journey, Kakashi had promised Tenzo that he would explain what happened back when the brunet was just a child. When she noticed that they were one man down in their team, Sakura had immediately wanted to help, to see if she could bring the man back to life, but Tsunade had silenced her with an extremely stern glare.

Right. It would be stupid to tell everyone of her 'ability', especially with hunters around and especially considering the fact it hadn't been truly worked on yet. In fact, it would be like putting a huge, loud target right above her head.

Jiraiya had disappeared at one point, only to return around half an hour later. He wasn't on foot like he had been when he left. No, Jiraiya returned in a car, one that had blacked out windows.

"Here." He tossed the keys to Sakura since Itachi had his hands full and she instinctively caught them. "Somebody owed me a favour and I decided to cash in on it. Make sure your parents get home safely."

She nodded her thanks and quickly opened the back door, biting her lip nervously as she helped Itachi lower Mebuki from his back. When the woman was leaning against Sakura, he picked her up once more, cradling the back of her head to make sure she didn't hit it as he put her in the car. Standing back, Sakura watched as Itachi fastened the seatbelt around Mebuki securely, tugging on it a couple of times just to make sure she would be safe.

And when Mebuki was safely inside of the car, they shut the door, but just as they were about to help Shisui, they found that Mikoto was already there. It was amusing seeing her holding such a large man, carrying him like he weighed absolutely nothing. After all, Mikoto was rather petite weight–wise. Not as small as herself, but still quite thin.

As soon as they were both strapped in, Sakura handed Itachi the keys.

"We will return to the cabin once Sakura has spoken to her parents." Itachi informed them all.

* * *

The drive was silent. Her parents had been brought out of Shisui's genjutsu not long into the journey, but they both stayed quiet and fortunately, due to the blacked out windows, not a lot could be seen inside of the car. Well, not by humans, anyway. They could still see Sakura and Itachi, of course. They could still see their features if they turned their heads to the side to face each other, but other than that, nothing. It was all dull and difficult to make out.

Sensing her building dread, one of Itachi's hands left the steering wheel and took Sakura's, holding it tightly and comfortingly and in response, she sighed and eased back into her seat, closing her eyes tiredly.

Kizashi glanced down at his wife, neither of them missing the interaction or the way that their daughter seemed to immediately relax when the man touched her.

"Where are we going?" Kizashi asked after a moment, his suspicious eyes fixed on the back of Itachi's headrest.

"Back to Konoha." Sakura replied without looking at them, the twisting in her stomach increasing painfully.

Her mother instantly perked up and hope filled her eyes. "Home?"

Never before had she ever heard her mother sounding so vulnerable. Tears filled her eyes, though they didn't fall. "…Yeah."

"And you're coming with us."

When Sakura didn't reply, Kizashi frowned. "Sakura?"

"Sakura, do not ignore your parents." Itachi chided her gently, swiftly turning onto a highway. "They are asking you a question."

But if she kept talking to them, interacting with them, then leaving them both would be so much harder than what it already was. It already felt like she would be losing part of herself by never seeing her parents again, so Sakura would do whatever she had to, to keep that pain from becoming worse.

"No." She swallowed hard and kept her eyes shut. "I'm not coming home. Only dropping you off."

"B–But… But _why not_?" her father demanded, his features pained. "Sakura–"

"I'll explain everything when we're back in Konoha. Just…" She sighed, tilting her head towards the window and tightening her hold on Itachi's hand. "Just please be quiet until we get there."

If she was never going to see them again, the least they deserved was a full and proper explanation, one that went right back to the very beginning, to the night Itachi had saved her life. She needed to have a good think about what she was going to say to them, about how much she was going to share.

Telling them that she was a vampire was out of the question. It would be way too dangerous to do such a thing. Sure, Sakura knew she could trust her parents, but it was still was too risky. Despite Sai's agreement to not allow any harm to come to her parents, there were still many other hunters out there who would do anything to rid the world of the supernatural kind, even if it meant innocent people got caught in the crossfire.

It took well over seventeen hours to return to Konoha and it would have taken longer had Itachi not pushed the car to its limits, taking back roads whenever they were off the highway. Not once were they pulled over and they only had to stop for gas a couple of times. During those breaks, her parents were able to use the bathroom and Itachi had purchased them some food and water, understanding that they were probably hungry after being held captive for who knows how long.

Eventually, when they returned to Konoha, it was dark and the streets were empty. Itachi slowed down considerably as he drove to the Haruno home, not needing to ask for directions since Sakura had shown him the way once before. Street lights lit up the road for them and when they got out of the car, she kept her head down, hair veiling her features. It was dark, yes, but she'd rather not get into an argument with her father once more (especially in the street) when he discovered that she hadn't actually had cosmetic surgery.

The house was just as quiet and just as dark as the street and Sakura immediately made her way to the living room, sitting with her back to the doorway. A moment later and Itachi was joining her with a sigh.

"You will regret pushing them away one day, Sakura." he told her seriously. "Think about what you're doing."

"I _have_."

He shook his head, sadness in his dark eyes. "You don't have to do this. You can still keep in contact with them."

"I'll be tracked and they'll be targeted–"

"You can always change your appearance and mask your chakra." When her eyes widened, realisation striking her, he gave a soft smirk and cupped her cheek. "Remind me to teach you how to use a henge."

She nodded and sighed when he pulled away, her parents entering the living room a moment later.

"You could have switched the lights on, Sakura. You know where they are." Mebuki sighed, feeling the wall for the light switch before flipping it, smiling to herself as the lights came on. That smile faltered at the sight of her living room. "Look at this mess!"

It wasn't that messy, Sakura almost argued. That had always been the first thing she said when her mother stated such a thing. And it was honestly the truth! Sure, there were several sheets of paper littering the floor and one of the photo frames had been dropped from the fireplace, but it really wasn't as bad as her mother made it out to be.

Kizashi sat down on the old, worn out sofa opposite theirs, his eyes glued to Sakura's features just as they had been the night she approached him after her change. He still looked incredibly suspicious and pained by the changes he could see in his daughter. And once Mebuki had gathered the pieces of paper (which turned out to be old letters of Sakura's, ones that stated what school she had gone to and other things such as that) and picked up the photo frame, she placed them onto the coffee table and sat beside her husband.

Her eyes narrowed when they met Sakura's, taking in the changes for herself.

She swallowed hard.

"Your father told me that you'd changed, but… This isn't cosmetic surgery." Mebuki murmured, examining her daughter properly now that they were in better light. "You told me what kind you wanted and this… This wasn't it. You look… so different. You didn't want that much done."

Sakura's lower lip trembled.

"Sakura…" Kizashi whispered, his voice sounding breathless. "What happened to you? Please don't continue lying to us – not after the past few days."

"On the night that you both believed I went missing…" Their intense gazes made her stomach flip anxiously. "I died."

They both swallowed hard and it was only because of what had happened with Orochimaru that they didn't immediately yell at her and reprimand her about making up such absurd stories. Instead, they listened patiently, her mother's hand reaching out and holding onto Kizashi's tightly.

"On my way to the hospital, I was attacked by three men, who then left me for dead after assaulting me."

Her father paled to the point where he looked as though he was about to pass out, whilst her mother actually gagged. Itachi silently grabbed the small bin sitting beside him, handing it over to the woman who gratefully accepted it, holding it in front of her. She was now just as pale as Kizashi.

There was a faint pause. "They didn't…?"

Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath before whispering, "…They did."

The sounds of her mother throwing up reached her sensitive ears, the smell hitting her at the same time. It hurt her, made her feel low about herself, having her own mother throwing up after hearing she'd been raped, but Sakura couldn't blame her. Instead, she slowly opened her eyes and kept them on the ground, not looking at either of them.

It wasn't until Kizashi reached out and took her hand that she finally looked up at him.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you like a father should." he whispered, tears slipping down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Sakura. You must've been so scared."

A sob left her before she could stop it and Sakura quickly nodded. "I–I was."

Kizashi was on his knees and in front of her within an instant, bringing her close to him in a tight embrace. It was the sort of comfort that only a father could give and she couldn't stop herself from clinging tightly to him. This was what she had been aching for all along. Her father. Her mother. Their support. Yes, Sakura was so very grateful for Itachi and everything he'd done for her and no, the comfort he gave to her could never be compared to another's. However, Sakura found that the moment she was being held by her father, all her problems seemed so very little. She felt like a little girl again, one who was carefree and safe.

It wasn't until he wheezed slightly that she eased up, reluctantly loosening her hold on him.

"No, you don't have to." he told her quietly, rubbing her back soothingly. "If this is who you are now… Don't hold back. You're my daughter, Sakura. I'm just so glad you're here, no matter what you are."

Mebuki nodded shakily, the bin slowly being placed down before she joined the two of them, also falling to her knees like Kizashi had. "Please forgive me." she whispered brokenly. "Please forgive me for not protecting you!"

"Mom–"

"You're my daughter!" she sobbed. "Despite all our arguments, you're still my Sakura. What those vile men did to you… It doesn't… _Nothing_ will _ever_ change the fact _you're my daughter_."

Acceptance.

They still accepted her.

"You said you would be leaving again, but, please, stay for the night." Mebuki begged her daughter, gripping her hands tightly in her own. "Just one night. I–I'll make a wonderful dinner and we can talk about normal, every day things."

"Mom–"

"I think you should, Sakura." Itachi cut her off, raising an eyebrow at her. "It gives you some time with your parents before we continue travelling."

"Your friend is also welcome!" the mother added quickly. "The both of you are. I'd like so much more time with you, but I'll be happy with just one more night. Please, Sakura."

Her eyes saddened at the desperation on her mother's features. "He's… Itachi isn't my friend, mom. We're more than that."

Kizashi leaned back on his knees, regarding Itachi once more. "You're Dai, right?"

Itachi nodded once.

"I could tell. The way Sakura looks at you is… I know my daughter and her heart is definitely not fickle. That look was in her eyes the last time, although not nearly as strongly as it is now. It was obvious she cared for Dai, but… She loves you."

Something softened in Itachi's eyes. "And I, her."

Sakura's head snapped in his direction, eyes widening. "You love me?"

Did she really need to ask? Instead of replying verbally, Itachi allowed their bond to speak for him, revealing not for the first time how he felt when around her or merely thinking of her. There was rarely a moment when he wouldn't be thinking of her. Her safety, her beauty, her happiness or simply her in general. Everything he had done, since catching her scent, had been for Sakura and not for a single second would Itachi change that.

She had changed him for the better.

She made living for an eternity seem like it wasn't nearly enough time to spend with her.

"You said you're continuing travelling…" Kizashi broke the connection between them, gaining both of their attentions once more. "How do we know for sure that that's what you're really doing?"

"Or that you're safe?" Mebuki added, her bottom lip trembling. "Or warm? Or well fed? How do we know that you're happy, Sakura?"

"You'll probably never really know for sure." she replied honestly, her eyebrows furrowing. "But just trust me. I promise you both that I'll take care of myself."

"And you'll visit."

Itachi's earlier words replayed in her mind, telling her that it would be okay to visit them and that there were ways to keep them both safe at the same time. A henge, Sakura was certain he'd called it. He had also used one when they first visited her father not long after being changed. It was possible, he was telling her. It was possible to have both lives and even though she had to take precautions, even though she had to change her appearance and whatever else that came with it, it would be worth it.

She could still see her parents.

"Yeah." Sakura nodded quickly, a bright smile pulling at her lips. "I'll definitely come back and visit."

"I'm so glad." Mebuki sighed, dragging Sakura into another embrace. "And Itachi–san," she glanced over her daughter's shoulder, giving him a hesitant smile, "you are also welcome to come and visit along with Sakura, but on one condition."

They had the same eyes, Itachi realised after just a split second of looking into Mebuki's. They were alight with the same determination, with the same love.

"I want you to protect my daughter."

He nodded once, never breaking eye contact. "No matter the cost."

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Sakura?"

Glancing up at the blonde and watching her chewing nervously on her thumbnail, listening to her shallow breathing and sensing the unease in her chakra, Sakura nodded once. There wasn't even anything to think about, really. Tsunade deserved this and she was going to make damn sure that she got her happy ending, too.

There was no hope in reviving her younger brother, Nawaki. Just like there was no hope in reviving Ino. Not only did Sakura not know what their spirit looked like, but there was also no body to bring the spirit into. Dan, however… His spirit was entwined with Tsunade's. After focusing hard on it since returning to the cabin nine and half days ago, Sakura had finally been able to pick up on the difference – and not just colour–wise.

It was difficult to explain and even in her own mind, it made no sense. No matter how much Itachi attempted to help Sakura in arranging her thoughts, in finding the right words, nothing truly fit. But that didn't matter, not really. What mattered was that Sakura knew she could do it and as she focused intently on Tsunade's spirit, on the remains of Dan's, she had also been reviving animals as practice.

Starting off with smaller animals, she would take them out and once they were dead, she would heal all wounds she had inflicted. Only then would Sakura drag their spirits back to their bodies. It had been a struggle at first and more than once, she'd slipped in concentration, but it didn't take her all that long to understand.

It couldn't be rushed. What Sakura needed was patience. She had to take it easy and take her time, drifting carefully through the spirits. After all, she didn't want to bring the wrong spirit into Dan's body, especially considering the fact that his body was immortal, was a vampire's body. They would have to set the body on fire to kill the vampire, to rid it of its spirit and if that happened, then there would be no body for Dan's spirit to return to.

They only had one shot.

Jiraiya patted her shoulder and stood, taking a step back. "Good luck."

"What is happening?" Mikoto asked with a frown.

"Just watch, mother." Itachi murmured, his eyes fixated on his mate.

Beside his mother was his father and with them stood Shisui, Sasuke and Naruto. The first three were wary of what was going on, though had a feeling they knew what was about to happen. And at the narrowing of the Uchiha patriarch's eyes, Sasuke smirked and faced forward, watching Sakura. Fugaku had already accepted her as Itachi's mate, his acceptance only increasing when he heard that she was able to wield not just anybody's Gunbai, but Uchiha Madara's Gunbai. That acceptance was going to explode to new heights when he saw her gift for himself and he would have no choice but to respect her.

"Tsunade–shishou, can you–"

Without even waiting for her to continue, the woman slowly stepped forward and knelt on the other side of her deceased lover, refusing to look at his features. Instead, her honey brown eyes stuck to Sakura's, a fraction wider than usual. It was understandable. If anything happened to Itachi, Sakura wasn't sure what she'd do. And then seeing his body? Like it was only hours ago that he had died? It would be impossible for her to deal with.

After returning to the cabin, Jiraiya had ordered Obito to bring him Dan's body, which had apparently been stored away. Where? Wherever it was that Obito and Kakashi disappeared to with the use of their sharingan. It was the safest place for him to be kept. They'd placed Dan in one of the bedrooms afterwards and once Sakura herself had returned from her parents' home, she had worked on whatever needed repairing, as Tsunade hadn't the stomach to do so herself.

He was a little paler than usual, Tsunade had whispered when she saw her lover for the first time in over a century. Most likely because of the huge blood loss before being changed and the fact that he'd been dead for a couple of weeks before Jiraiya came up with the idea of transforming his body. It should have been impossible, was the next thing she'd whispered.

"What was his smile like, shishou?" Sakura asked softly, watching the older woman.

Something warmed in those scared eyes and with it, her features brightened ever so slightly, stunning the others in the room. "The most beautiful sight I'd ever seen." she spoke quietly, her voice hoarse. "There aren't any words to describe what it meant to me, but it reminded me of the sunrise. A new start to a new day. It made me feel like…" Tsunade smiled and shook her head, her shaking hand unknowingly reaching out and taking Dan's. "It made me feel like there was more to life than avenging my baby brother, that I had a life of my own to live. It made me realise that Nawaki wouldn't want me moping around and obsessing over his death. He'd want to grasp Dan's love with both hands and fight desperately for it. He'd want me to live a happy life. And I wanted to share that happy life with Dan. Share everything with him."

_There_.

There he was.

Closing her eyes as she felt Dan's spirit in Tsunade's (as it was always strongest when the blonde spoke of him), Sakura demanded herself to get a lock on it. On the feel, on the colour, on the shape and emotions. It was so light, so warm. Sakura could see why Tsunade had loved Dan so dearly despite the short amount of time they had together.

Once she had a lock on his spirit, she raised her hands over his body and unlocked the gate she had visited regularly over the past nine days. It had been so unnerving when Sakura realised how easy it was for her to open that gate between worlds, how she could easily open and close it. Also, while reviving animals, she'd come to understand that unless the spirits were latched onto her then they could not pass that gate. She had to be the one guiding them and if more than one attempted to join them, then it was easy to push them back in.

Sifting through the spirits in her mind, Sakura furrowed her brows, trying to feel over them all to get a hold of Dan's.

Sensing her difficultly, Itachi asked Tsunade, "How did he make you feel?"

"Safe." she replied, her eyes watching Sakura's features. "He made me feel like I was so fragile, but at the same time, he made me feel untouchable in his arms."

Mikoto's eyes widened a fraction when Sakura's palms began to glow and she leaned forward ever so slightly, her breathing stopping altogether as she sensed a certain spike in the air around them. Glancing down at her arm, she was absolutely stunned to see goosebumps. It had been centuries since such a thing had happened and as she looked at the others, she saw that they were also covered in them.

Minutely, Sakura's hands began to tremble and Itachi tried his best to ignore the feeling of their connection being interfered with. He tried his best to ignore the fact that it felt as though Sakura was leaving him.

He had to be somewhere–

There!

Her spirit approached his, watching how there was a flash of Tsunade's spirit mixed with his. That was definitely Dan. The spirit had the same colour and texture. It had the same emotions and when Tsunade's flashed within it, she could sense her shishou.

She had him.

Gripping his spirit with her own, Sakura began to quickly retreat from the world of the dead, slamming the gates shut and locking them once more.

And as a bright light passed through her body, as that light slammed down into the body laying motionlessly on the floor, Tsunade's breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened.

It felt like time itself stopped when his dark green eyes snapped open.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Dan sat up and looked around himself, frowning as he did so. The confusion he was feeling was almost tangible and in response, Tsunade bit her lip worriedly.

When Itachi suddenly appeared by Sakura's side, catching her just as she began to sway, Dan's eyes snapped to his, narrowing a fraction.

"Uchiha." Glancing over at the others, his eyes continued to narrow. "The entire clan, if I am not mistaken."

"Dan."

And just like that, his attention was stolen from the Uchiha clan and his widened eyes met Tsunade's, who stared back with furrowed brows. It was so strange to witness, Sakura thought tiredly. Her shishou looked so very vulnerable right at that moment in time. So young and so vulnerable. It was a beautiful sight.

"Tsunade."

Tears filled her honey brown eyes a moment before they were closing, her head tilting towards the ground. Only seconds later and her bottom lip was trembling.

"I think they deserve some privacy to catch up." Jiraiya suddenly spoke up, dropping his folding arms and turning his back on the reunited couple. "Follow me and I'll answer your questions about Sakura's gift."

* * *

"Itachi?"

"Relax." he told her softly, his hand gently running up and down her spine. The movement caused her skin to tingle. "You are exhausted."

Sakura shook her head stubbornly and pressed a kiss to his collarbone. "Not anymore, I'm not. How long was I out for this time?"

It was always Itachi who was by her side whenever Sakura brought someone back to life, even if it was only an animal. She knew she could trust him one hundred and ten percent. After every session, after every revival, Sakura would be weakened considerably and, depending on how strong the spirit was, she sometimes passed out from using all of her chakra.

"Four days." Itachi sighed and felt so very relieved that his mate was now awake.

"Have you been here the entire time?" Sakura couldn't help but gasp as she quickly leaned up on her elbows, looking down at him with a frown when he nodded in return. "Itachi, you need to hunt."

"I could not leave you alone." he murmured simply, continuing with running his fingers along her spine. "Tsunade–sama's mate is…"

"Dan." Once more, Sakura gasped, her eyes going wide. "How is he doing? How is _she_ doing?"

Realising that Sakura was about to jump out of bed to go and check for herself, Itachi swiftly rolled them over and kept her down by pressing his body against hers, ignoring the old, creaky bed as it groaned in protest at their movements. Unlike previously, there was no flicker of fear in her eyes. There was no shaky breathing and wide eyes. Sakura was calm in his presence. She felt safe.

He smiled.

Lowering himself against her more fully, Itachi breathed out another sigh. "Dan–san has had only a small amount of difficulty adjusting to everything and understanding what has happened, but other than that, he and Tsunade–sama haven't left each other's sides."

"I can't sense them." She frowned. "I can't sense anyone. What's going on, Itachi?"

"Tsunade–sama and Dan–san have gone somewhere more private to… reacquaint themselves." Realisation flashed in Sakura's eyes and she looked away shyly. "Jiraiya–sama and Naruto–kun have left to go and train some more. As for our clan," Itachi cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing just underneath her eye, "they left early to give us some privacy."

"…Oh."

He smirked, enjoying the shyness that was showing in his little mate's eyes and not for the first time, Itachi found that he wanted to see her blush, even if it was only just the once.

"So… What now?"

His hand slipped away from her cheek, pressing down into the old mattress beside her hip. "Later, we will begin our travelling, like I promised a few months ago." Her eyes lit up and a bright smile pulled at her lips, making Itachi feel so much lighter. "For now, however–"

The words were cut off as Sakura's hand pulled his head down to hers, capturing Itachi's lips in a demanding kiss, one he gladly returned.

"I want to go somewhere hot." she gasped, tugging on his hair when his kisses were moved to her neck. "Tropical."

Nodding, he kissed his way back to her lips, gently parting her legs with his knee. "I know of a place you will like."

It felt as though fire was scorching its way through her veins and meeting up right in the pit of her stomach, growing to great proportions with every brush of his lips against hers. That fire only continued to grow as clothing was shed, dropping to the ground around them until there was nothing left, until they were becoming one beneath the sheets.

Her head fell back against the pillows, tilting and exposing her throat when Itachi started to move and not a second later, more kisses were being littered along her throat, his teeth scraping across her soft skin. But even as he nipped at her neck, it was never hard enough to hurt her. Like their lovemaking, it was gentle and sweet – wary, even. They had yet to explore this side of themselves fully, after all. It was like they were testing the waters, like Itachi was making sure to keep an eye on what was okay and what wasn't. He didn't want to hurt or scare her.

One of her long legs wrapped around his waist, her foot digging into his lower back as she tried to bring him closer to her.

His pace was quickening, causing her nails to scrape across his back, causing Sakura to cry out in such a way that it almost had him faltering in his movements. In response, Itachi's hand slipped beneath her and gripped her ass, pulling her against him with each thrust and causing such a delicious friction that it made her dizzy with pleasure.

It felt like hours had passed before they finally collapsed with exhaustion, Itachi's body pinning hers to the mattress as they both tried to see through the post–coital haze, as they tried to control the pleasurable spasming of their bodies. Even when they were finished, their hips continued to meet in a slow and lazy grind.

A hand tugged on Itachi's long and damp, dark hair, pulling his face up and not long after he was looking at her, Sakura kissed him softly, languidly. The air around them was still hot and humid and the glass windows were fogged up with condensation.

"Sakura…" Itachi breathed against her lips. "I love you, too."

She smiled brightly, kissing him more enthusiastically. "I can't wait to travel the world with you." Sakura whispered to him, though her voice grew slightly louder when she spoke again. "Ino and I always planned on travelling when we were younger, but… I know she'd approve of my choice."

There was no sadness in her tone, only peaceful acceptance. Sakura was truly learning to move on from her best friend's death.

Itachi kissed her one final time before leaning back, smiling gently at her. "Are you ready, hime?"

"Definitely." she told him without missing a beat.

It was time to start their forever.

* * *

**The End**

* * *

**A/N - Somebody asked for a bit of biting and drinking each other's blood, I believe. It's kinky, I'm not going to lie, but... Itachi stated in a previous chapter that vampires do not bleed. Their skin can be broken and limbs can be detached, but no blood, I'm afraid!**

**It took me so long to write this chapter! I kept putting it off because I didn't want it to end and I feel like I created more questions instead of answering them, but I wanted you all to use your imagination with Dan and Tsunade, as well as Kakashi's secret missions for Jiraiya. Basically, with the latter, Kakashi was accepting missions from Jiraiya and keeping an eye on what Orochimaru was doing. One day, he noticed that there was a child who was about to be killed, so he saved the kid and took him to the nearest hospital, which happened to be Konoha's.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this story! I loved writing it and even though Sakura's gift was a bit sudden, I just want to remind you all that the sharingan is also quite sudden in its own way. None of the Uchiha clan members knew about it until they activated it.**

**Okay, anyways! I'll most likely have another story out soon, so keep your eyes out for it. However, I don't know whether to post one of my ItaSaku, GaaSaku or my ultimate OTP: Vegeta and Bulma. Hmm... Decisions, decisions...**


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